Emmerdale star Lisa Riley has been a fixture on the ITV soap since 1995, playing the iconic Mandy Dingle, and she’s faced off-screen battles too
Since her first appearance as Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale back in 1995, Lisa Riley has become a cherished part of the soap.
Mandy, with her vibrant personality and infectious joy, has been central to some of Emmerdale’s most gripping plots over the last three decades. Notable storylines include her turbulent romance with Paddy Kirk and the shocking revelation that she adopted her son Vinny while involved with Vinny’s abusive father Paul Ashdale.
Off-screen, Lisa has navigated her own share of challenges, making the monumental decision to transform her lifestyle by losing an incredible 12 stone in just a year and a half. Fans of Lisa may also be pleased to see she’s recently teased a ‘wonderful’ project away from the soap.
Unlike many stars who resort to quick solutions, Lisa was determined to lead a healthier life. This involved swapping her usual takeaway meals for regular gym sessions and a balanced diet.
During this 18-month journey, Lisa, originally from Bury, slimmed down from a size 28 to a svelte size 12. However, the weight loss journey wasn’t without its hurdles, as the actress grappled with painful folds of excess skin, weighing over 1.5 stone, reports the Mirror.
In her 2017 documentary, Lisa Riley’s Baggy Body Club, Lisa emotionally confessed that her transformed body had left her feeling ‘revolted’ by her own reflection and even saw herself as a ‘saggy mess’, following the weight loss.
Lisa has candidly revealed the unexpected challenges she encountered during her weight-loss journey, confessing to fans: “When I made the decision to lose weight, I never for one second imagined that I would end up looking like that.”
Speaking about the surprising aftermath of her dramatic transformation, she continued: “It never occurred to me that the loose skin would be so bad. I thought why on earth have I lost all this weight? I looked worse than I did when I was obese. And it was the pain as well. The skin was flapping about and dragging.”
Following her significant weight reduction, Lisa found herself battling discomfort from excess skin, which interfered with her fitness regime. Explaining the agony, she revealed: “When you are on this weight loss journey, food becomes the enemy and you have to go to the gym, you have to move.
“But the movement was becoming a severe problem. It really hurt, it rubbed and it would get red, and it was hard to clean between the folds.”
The documentary captured Lisa’s courageous decision to have surgery for excess skin removal, a procedure undertaken by countless people each year.
Sharing her anxieties about the operation, Lisa disclosed how fear nearly prevented her from going ahead. “The night before the surgery, I was so petrified everybody thought I wasn’t going to go through with it. I was thinking that in 11 hours I could be dead. I might not wake up,” she admitted.
The star then confessed: “Could I have lived with the loose skin for the rest of my life? Yes, but I wouldn’t have been happy.”
Interestingly, while often considered a cosmetic procedure, Lisa felt that her skin removal was actually something very different.
“I don’t feel like I have had cosmetic surgery, I have corrected what I had done to myself,” explained the Emmerdale actress. Nobody made me eat 50 Twix bars, or a whole packet of sausages at one sitting. I did that to myself. No one made me not go to the gym. Some weeks I was probably having seven takeaways a week. I did that to myself. I have to take responsibility for that.”
In total, Lisa endured four intense surgical procedures, including a fleur de lis tummy tuck, surgery to remove loose skin from her thighs, a breast lift and ‘bingo wings’ reduction. As a result, it took the actress about seven months to fully recover, enduring significant pain along the way.
Now, after this challenging journey, Lisa confessed she couldn’t be happier with her appearance as she reflected: “I had never been able to wear sexy underwear, before it was all just functional, mumsy bras and big knickers. Now I can wear little sexy sets.
“On the train from Manchester to London, the old me would have had a coffee, baguette, red wine, crisps and a cake. Now I plan my meals and order a sparkling water, people can’t believe it.”
