Big Brother's Nadia Almada shares incredible 6st weight loss and poses in swimsuit

Big Brother icon Nadia Almada has shared her dramatic weight loss transformation, after jetting to Turkey to undergo gastric sleeve surgery earlier this year

Big Brother legend Nadia Almada is marking a year of significant milestones.

It's been exactly 20 years since she made television history by becoming the first transgender winner of Big Brother, under the original host Davina McCall, and won over the nation. Now, Nadia is once again grabbing attention, not just for the anniversary of her victory, but also for her dramatic weight loss transformation.

The reality TV icon, aged 47, has shed over six stone in recent months, dropping from 17st 6lb to 11st 8lb. After flying to Turkey for gastric sleeve surgery in March this year, the 5ft 3in star has slimmed down from a size 20 to a size 12 and says the procedure saved her life.

Nadia - who previously disclosed that Adele is a big fan of hers - talks about feeling like a new woman, the unexpected reason behind her decision to have the surgery, and her aspirations to return to the Big Brother house, two decades later...

Speaking to OK!, Nadia explained the pivotal moment that led to getting the gastric sleeve, saying it was her mum who suggested it. "I spent Christmas with my family in Portugal," she said. "And when she suggested I should undergo the surgery, it provided the reassurance I needed. I was a size 20 and a mere shadow of my former self."

She confessed that just three months after the procedure, her cholesterol and thyroid levels had decreased. She went on: "The surgery was truly life-saving for me."

Nadia revealed that prior to the surgery she never had an obsession with weighing herself but soon noticed clothes were fitting again for the first time in years. She also said that following her surgery, she experienced a mental struggle as she couldn't maintain her previous eating habits. She said: "After surgery, my brain went haywire because I couldn't have the same habits. I went crazy. I started watching mukbang videos [people binge-eating], to trick my brain into thinking that I was eating what I was seeing. I was also spending hundreds of pounds on ingredients I'd never bought before, because my brain was craving all this high-protein stuff."

She had to adjust between emotional eating and what her body actually needed, revealing it was a tough adjustment to make However, she said she now just uses little plates rather than big bowls, confessing the change took a long time to get used to.

With the new series of Big Brother starting this week, she was asked about her feelings on the 20th anniversary of her iconic win. She admitted she is thrilled for the show to return and reminisced of her time on the show. "During my time on the show, I was the most authentic version of myself. I felt safe and insulated from the outside world, and it felt like a celebration of Nadia."

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