A year ago, reality star Chanelle Hayes told Closer her main goal was to look after her health and revealed she’d set herself fitness targets in order to get active, saying, “My weight has always gone up and down, but I want long-lasting results.”
Fast-forward 12 months and it seems the former Big Brother contestant has stuck to her word, as she stunned fans when she debuted her newly slim physique over the Christmas break.
Posing with sons Blakely, 10, and three-year-old Frankie on Instagram, Chanelle looked healthy, with fans praising her new look. One wrote, “You look like you have lost loads of weight, you’re looking great.”
Chanelle – who’s remained single since splitting with PE teacher Ryan Oates – found fame on Big Brother in 2007 as a tiny size 6, but, after gradually gaining weight, she opened up about how depression had kick-started her bad eating habits in 2013.
In 2014, she dropped four dress sizes, going from a 16 to a size 8, through finding a love of exercise, but despite her best efforts continued to yo-yo.
Check out: Big Brother series 3: where are they now?
CLOSER Big Brother series 3 where are they now? - slider
1 of 26Adele Roberts Big Brother
Adele was one of the original housemates and RAPPED in her audition tape saying why she deserved a place. Bold move. She was popular with her fellow housemates but sadly not with the voting public and was booted out with 62% of the vote on day 43. Still, what a stint.
2 of 26Adele Roberts 2018
A bone fide Big Brother success story, Adele is a DJ on Radio 1's Early Breakfast Show. We don't envy her the 4am starts though. Ouch. In November 2019, Adele became an I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! campmate.
3 of 26Alex Sibley Big Brother
When Alex entered the house, it was our strongly held belief that we was the fittest housemate EVER. It was a more innocent time. He came third with 27% of the vote.
4 of 26Alex Sibley 2018
Alex remains an enthusiastic Big Brother fan and recently appeared on Big Brother's Bit on the Side. He is still very hot.
5 of 26Alison Hammond Big Brother
Alison was one of the biggest personalities in the Big Brother house but her card was marked with Alex and Jonny when she admitted she peed in the shower. Bafflingly, she came in 11th place.
6 of 26Alison Hammond 2018
Alison certainly had the last laugh - she's been a regular on This Morning since 2003.
7 of 26Jade Goody Big Brother
Jade's time in the house was remarkable for her constant references to her "kebab", her inability to hold her booze, and her relentless good humour.
8 of 26Jade Goody 2008
Jade was a hugely popular TV personality when she left the house, but fell from grace following a controversial appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. She died in her sleep due to cervical cancer in March 2009.
9 of 26Kate Lawler Big Brother
Kate was the first female winner of Big Brother. Go, Kate!
10 of 26Kate Lawler 2018
Kate is now a DJ working on Virgin Radio in the afternoon slot (other cough Bauer cough radio stations are available).
11 of 26Lee Davey Big Brother
Lee spent 18 days in the house. We don't remember a single moment of it.
12 of 26Lee Davey 2018
These days Lee's looking hubba hubba HOT and appears to be spending a lot of time in the gym or at the football. Which is a pretty sweet life.
13 of 26Lynne Moncrieff Big Brother
Lynne was the first person to be evicted from the Big Brother house. It's got to be someone of course, but ouch.
14 of 26Lynne Moncrieff 2018
Lynne now appears to have a business selling her own art, and she has an AWESOME pack of pet dogs.
15 of 26Peter James "PJ" Ellis Big Brother
PJ's time in the house was made special by an oral sex act he received from Jade. He later denied it happened despite us all seeing it on the telly.
16 of 26Peter James "PJ" Ellis 2018
PJ is now a solicitor and lover of Brum.
17 of 26Sandy Cumming Big Brother
We rather liked stylish Sandy, However, he decided the Big Brother experience was not for him and left by scaling a wall on day 20 after urinating in a bin.
18 of 26Sandy Cumming 2002
This is the last known sighting of Sandy.
19 of 26Sophie Pritchard Big Brother
Sophie entered the house on day ten and fell for Lee although they didn't get together until they'd left the house. The two married and had a son together.
20 of 26Sophie Pritchard 2010
Sophie and Lee split ten months after their son was born and Sophie appears to have stayed out of the limelight.
21 of 26Spencer Smith Big Brother
Spencer came in ninth place. And that's about all we can recall of his time in the house. Soz, Spencer.
22 of 26Spencer Smith 2010
Spencer appeared in Celebrity Four Weddings in 2010. We haven't heard anything of him since.
23 of 26Sunita Sharma Big Brother
Sunita was one of the original housemates but walked on day seven saying that Big Brother "was not her party".
24 of 26Sunita Sharma 2018
Sunita returned to her old job and now works as a barrister,
25 of 26Tim Culley Big Brother
Tim and his, ahem, natural brunette locks entered the house as a replacement for Sandy. He will forever be remembered for trying to secretly shave his chest hair.
26 of 26Tim Culley 2018
Tim appears to have returned to South Africa and has a fancy job at a design company. He still references Big Brother in his company bio.
Two years on, Chanelle said, “I’ve been on such extreme diets, if I try to lose weight it’s a slower process because I’ve messed up my metabolism.”
After welcoming Frankie in 2017, Chanelle – who split with his father Ryan weeks after giving birth – was a size 18 and told Closer that weight gain had left her with back and knee problems. Doctors warned her that she was likely to become diabetic if she didn’t become healthier.
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In 2019, Chanelle shed four stone in six months, slimming to a size 12-14 and said, “It’s about changing my mindset towards food and a balanced way of living.” And last year, she told Closer, “I’m focusing on healthy eating and lots of protein. I had problems with my back when I was bigger, so I’m now exercising in a low-impact way, like walking.”
She revealed she’d had a hair transplant, saying that constant dieting had accelerated a receding hairline. After the op, she posted on Instagram, “Never before would I have been able to wear a headband with my hair back because of the receding at the sides… So so happy I can put my hair back.”
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