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Natalie Cassidy hits the beach...feeling 'happier, prettier and more womanly than ever'
Last updated at 15:59pm on 13.03.08Natalie Cassidy has undergone an amazing transformation from the girl formerly known as "the fat girl off the telly" to, she says, "feeling happier, prettier and more womanly than ever."
The former EastEnders star show off her toned physique in a succession of skimpy bikinis as she enjoyed a sunshine break in Portugal.
Determined to shed her frumpy EastEnders image, Natalie began her transformation with a boost to her cleavage from a 36B to a 36D three years ago.
Then an intense diet and fitness regime, including three workouts a week with personal trainer Dee Thresher saw her lose over two stone.
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Beach babe: Natalie Cassidy unveils her beach-ready body as she holdiayed in the Algarve, Portugal yesterday
Natalie said: "I used to get called that fat girl off the telly but I convinced myself that they were talking about the character.
"That was just a get-out clause, it wasn't as if I unzipped my fat suit and went home.
"I feel happier, prettier and more womanly than ever."
But it appears even on holiday she's taking no chances on slipping up with the diet - as she took her personal trainer with her.
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Silenced: Natalie's slimline physique will silence any rumblings that the actress has begun to regain some of the 2.5st in weight she has lost
The 24-year-old actress' fitness DVD 'Then and Now' became a Christmas bestseller, outdoing those by diet and fitness queen Rosemary Conley and TV presenter Davina McCall.
However, there were rumblings that she had begun to regain some of the weight after she was seen dressed in an unflattering outfit.
But clearly that was a blip as Natalie appeared on the beach yesterday in a tiny black bikini, which showed there was not extra inch of flab to pinch.
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Work it out: Clearly Natalie is taking no chances as her holiday companion is none other than her personal trainer Dee Thresher
Itsy bitsy blue bikini: The 5ft 4in celebrity has dropped from a size 16 to an incredible size 8 which she attributed to an intense fitness regime and paying attention to her diet
Natalie was accompanied on her beach break by an unusual choice of companion - her personal trainer Dee Thresher.
Clearly she's has no intention of relaxing her new regime while on holiday, as they even took part in a beachside training session.
She recently revealed how she has managed to keep her new size-eight figure.
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Fashion parade: Natalie wore a succession of skimpy bikini's, and is clearly proud of her new figure
"I don't feel as if I'm depriving myself any more. I don't want to eat crispy pork belly or liver and chips, which I would have eaten before," says Natalie, who at 5ft 4in weighs 8st 1lb.
"I've tried loads of diets and I'd think: 'I've finished the diet, now I'll go back to how I used to eat.' But I feel I've cracked it - I'm maintaining my weight, which is the hardest thing."
Now Natalie, who lost the weight through exercising with personal trainer Dee Thresher, and her own diet, feels she's found a balance which means she's not depriving herself.
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Diet tips: Natalie's recipe for success is no carbs in the evening and the odd gin and slimline tonic
Lounging: There's no need to suck in her slim tummy on the beach
"I'll have a gin and slimline tonic, I don't eat carbs in the evening, I'll snack on low-fat yogurt and blueberries and I'll do my DVD (Natalie's Then And Now Workout, £19.99) three times a week."
She added: "I'm comfortable with my weight between 8st 8lb and 8st 1lb - it's important to have that extra half-stone leeway, so you don't panic if you put on a few pounds."
Frumpy: Natalie as she appeared in 2006 at the TV Quick Awards before she dropped four dress sizes
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Reader views (16)
I think she looks amazing. I was watching a programme that she was presenting on diets and how many of them can actually leave you quite sick. She however did it predominantly by exercise and a healthy eating plan. I respect her apart from her boobs she's real meaning anyone can do it the biggest secret to weight loss is exercise not cutting out food groups. As for starving herself that's rubbish, everyone's so used to seeing her the way she was in EastEnders that now she's lost weight there's all these comments like " she don't look natural" "she looks like she's starving herself". Give her a break she looks brilliant , sorry to let some steam of but in the world nowadays people have opinions of you if your overweight, big boned or even if your slim. When are they going to stop? No wonder more people have eating disorders.
- Reena, London, London , UK
She certainly won't be getting a suntan, its been freezing here in Portugal over the last few days.
- Matthew, Lisbon, Portugal
She's lovely and sexy but she will always be Sonia in our British life soap.
- Astra, london
She has a flat stomach yes, but she doesn't look natural...her bone structure doesn't look made to be a size 8. I think she should set an example and except her body how she is..ok maybe she shouldn't be huge but she looks like she has starved herself to achieve that look. Her shoulders look to wide, no offence to her of course but from experience I think she should just set an example to girls that are naturally a bigger build...well that's my opinion anyway.
- Lucy, kent
She looks like a young Bella Emberg.
- Cornelius, Hampstead, London
Looks very average to me!
- Scott, London, UK
Not that slim!!
- Oscar, London, UK
Even if she did loose all that weight the right way, I believe she still must of had surgery to remove the saggy skin that would have been left over after her weight loss. She's always been big so there's no way that extra flesh would just tighten up. She looks good but she still ain't hot.
- Gerald, London
This is so staged and so sad that she has to grab attention like this rather than getting a job.
- Sam, Surrey
I think she looks fabulous and it must have taken lots of effort and will-power to do this. Her DVD is great and she steps on the scales on this...and it shows a reading of 8st 1lb so she's not fibbing (unless they fixed it but with the amount of sweat in the DVD I doubt anything in it is fake)!
- Jo, London, England
Her DVD is the number 1 seller?
Proof if ever British women are in the main pork-butts who think that simply buying the DVD will help them get the figure they oh so desire - unlikely.
- Rob S, London, UK
She's not 8st 1! I say that as someone else who is 5ft 4 and wears size 6-8 clothes... at 8st you should be seeing her ribcage. 9st would be a better estimate.
Still she's looking healthy and it's good she has slimmed down the correct way (i.e. through changing her diet, exercising more) rather than the cheaters way through plastic surgery!
- S, London, UK
Lovely body, shame about the face...
- Sherry, London, UK
I have to say she looks pretty amazing and deserves all the coverage she has gotten!
- Eve, London, UK
Amazing shots, I'm sure she had no idea these were being taken. I'm going to go straight out and buy her DVD now as a result of this article which I'm sure her agent had nothing to do with.
- Tommy, London, UK
Body of a goddess - face of a camel...Pity.
- Helen, London, UK
