Chanelle Hayes has recently lost over seven stone after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery but has taken to social media to show off the physical toll the procedure has taken on her body.
Chanelle – who has battled publicly with her weight since coming into the public eye on Big Brother in 2007 – did a Q&A with fans on her Instagram where she addressed questions about the surgery and maintaining her weight.
When one fan asked if the procedure was painful, Chanelle replied, “The only painful bit was the gas pump into you but that would be the same for any form of laparoscopic surgery.”
She added, “Actually… I had a hiatal hernia repair because they found a huge one when operating so swallowing hurt a little, again though that wasn’t the actual weight loss surgery, just the other stuff he fixed at the same time.”
CHECK OUT: OG Big Brother housemates - where are they now?
Big brother series 1: where are they now? CLOSER SLIDER
1 of 16Craig Phillips (WINNER) - then
Craig was the first ever winner of the series all the way back in 2000. He famously donated his entire £70,000 prize fund to his friend Joanne Harris who has Downs syndrome - to pay for her heart and lung transplant.
2 of 16Craig Phillips (WINNER) - now
After winning the show, Craig became one of the UK's leading DIY and home improvement experts (he owned a construction business before going on Big Brother).
3 of 16Anna Nolan (RUNNER-UP) - then
Anna finished in second place, and won popularity by being known for keeping peace in the house.
4 of 16Anna Nolan (RUNNER-UP) now
After leaving the show, Anna hot a job hosting the Great Irish Bake Off.
5 of 16Darren Ramsay (THIRD PLACE) then
Darren won viewers hearts with his love of the house chickens, his favourite being named Marjorie.
6 of 16Darren Ramsay (THIRD PLACE) now
Darren now works for a research company, and said, according to The Sun: "It's refreshing to do a nine-to-five job. But I would love to do I'm A Celebrity or Strictly Come Dancing."I want to put on some rhinestones and revive my little 15 minutes of fame."
7 of 16Melanie Hill (FOURTH PLACE) then
Melanie didn't receive a single nomination until the end of the show, and was placed fourth.
8 of 16Melanie Hill (FOURTH PLACE) now
Melanie is taking a career break to look after her son, Otis, who she shares with boyfriend Glenn.
9 of 16Tom McDermott (FIFTH PLACE)
Tom got together with fellow housemate Claire Strutton, who he then had a baby with. However, the couple soon split - and he now lives on the coast on Cornwall.
10 of 16Claire Strutton then
Claire arrived late to the house, and replaced Nick Bateman. After splitting from Tom, Claire founded a luxury beach resort in Marbella. Nice.
11 of 16Andy Davidson
Andy famously kissed Melanie in the house, and now works as the head of client strategy at brand consultancy Flamingo, based in London
12 of 16Caroline O’Shea
Caroline (or Caggy) was nominated for first eviction, but stayed in the house for three weeks. She received a massive 900,000 votes for eviction. She participated in 2010's Ultimate Big Brother as part of a task.
13 of 16Nichola Holt
Nichola famously made clay imprints of her naked body on the walls of the house, which was a bit weird. She is now said to be a single mother to a seven-year-old daughter and is living in Bolton.
14 of 16Sada Walkington
Sada was the first person to ever be evicted from the Big Brother house. After leaving, she moved to Argentina to work as a yoga teacher. She changed her name to Guru Amrit Dev and is mum to twins Indigo and Padma.
15 of 16Nick Bateman then
Nick Bateman AKA Nasty Nick is one of Big Brother's most notorious contestants. He was ejected from the house for passing notes encouraging his fellow housemates who to nominate.
16 of 16Nick Bateman now
After leaving the show, Nick participated in the 2010 series of Ultimate Big Brother.
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Alongside her answer Chanelle posted a photo of her stomach shortly after surgery, showing bruising from a number of incisions.
“Injecting myself wasn’t nice though for the following days.”
Another fan asked, “What’s the recovery like after the [gastric] sleeve?” and alongside a picture of her various pain medications, Chanelle wrote, “Well this was my bedside table for the first week of so.
“I just felt very tired for the first four weeks. Due to my hernia repair I was only on liquids for four weeks so that was draining for me.
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Chanelle Hayes posts incredible before and after shots on size 20 to 10 journey
“But I powered through and my body adjusted.”
Speaking exclusively to Closer last month about her decision to go under the knife, mum of two Chanelle said, “Surgery can be quite taboo as the only way out. But if you’re addicted to food, you can’t live without food... how can you break this addiction if you’re still eating this food every day?
“I wanted to come out and say I had weight-loss surgery to normalise it and prove it’s not a bad thing that I needed external help to do this. Not everyone can do this on their own.”