CORRIE legend Catherine Tyldesley is gracing our screens in a new ITV drama, Protection.

The 41- year-old, who appears alongside Alec Newman and Siobhan Finneran in the drama, looks a far cry from Eva Price or indeed her usual self for the gritty role.

But mum-of-two Catherine is no stranger to transformations and in the past has shed eight stone to achieve her incredible figure.

Over the years the actress has been open and honest about her image and body overhaul.

She used to weigh 15 stone and was a size 22 at the age of 18, before a decade ago she started focusing on losing weight.

The star told how she was motivated to lose weight after a director told her she would  “never be a leading lady” due to her size.

Teenage struggle

During an appearance on Loose Women the star admitted she would have considered a gastric band as a teenager.

She said: “I used to be overweight and when I was a teenager my education on food wasn’t the best so I was in a desperate place and probably would have jumped on that.

“I was desperate, but I think the key is education.”

Catherine quickly lost weight once she started trying and said: “I cut out all junk food and snacks and the weight came off quickly. By the time I was 19, I was a size 12.”

The star also once told her Instagram followers about how she was determined to shed the pounds as she struggled to walk up the stairs.

“I had zero energy, and my skin was terrible. Educating myself on nutrition was the best thing I ever did,” she wrote.

She said in the past that she dropped all the weight by ditching Coronation Street’s pies and bacon butties.

Speaking about her time on Corrie, she previously said: “It’s just fitting it around your schedule. If I was working I’d go on walks.

“On night shoots there are a lot of pies and bacon sandwiches floating about but I took stuff with me.”

For her children

After having her first son Alfie, 10, she vowed to stay healthy and “keep weight off to stay alive” for her children.

She told OK magazine that she was keen from them on to ensure she kept the weight off.

Having dropped to a size eight – the actress admitted she was motivated to “stay alive” as long as possible.

“For me, the biggest motivation was staying alive. I was obese and we know that obesity is connected to mortality,” Catherine said.

“I want to be on this earth for as long as possible because I love my life and then my little boy came along and even more so.

“I thought ‘wow, I have a huge responsibility’ and I want to be here for him for as long as possible. That’s my biggest drive – staying alive.”

Body change

In 2019 she underwent a 12-week Ultimate Performance transformation.

It includes superset weight workouts targeting compound exercises and bigger muscle groups, and a nutrient-rich diet.

She ended up losing a further two stone and was in the best shape of her life.

She then went on to have a daughter Iris two years ago.

Catherine told at the time that she had been keeping herself in shape through her pregnancy.

She revealed to Top Sante magazine that she had been walking “as much as she could” and “tried to book in more weight training”.

The actress, who said she was known as the ‘fat funny one’ in her friendship group, is proud of the journey she has been on.

“When I look at pictures of myself from that time, it doesn’t look like me. I was a different person”, she said.

“I actually keep a picture from when I was big on my phone to remind myself just how far I’ve come.”

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 “𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 & 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑠.𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜” 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬