EastEnders icon Letitia Dean, famed for playing Sharon Watts, has revealed how she managed to drop four dress sizes in months after cutting out her ‘worst habit’

Letitia Dean has revealed how she managed to drop four dress sizes in a matter of months. The EastEnders actress, known for playing unlucky in love Sharon Watts, has been a staple on the BBC soap for decades, but has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years.

Now, Letita, 56, has revealed that she managed to shed a staggering two stone in four months after saying goodbye to her worst habit and turning her back on fad diets. Rather than looking for the next diet craze and quick fixes, Letita’s secret is one that will help her in the long run after she makes a huge change to her lifestyle.

Her biggest weakness, she says, was junk food, which had been holding her back for several years before she decided to make the ultimate change to her life. The actress is believed to have weighed 10st 4lbs before going down to 8st 3lbs, dropping a reported four dress sizes in just four months.

“I found I had so much more energy than when I used to eat junk food,” she said. Now, she’s made a string of changes, including eating “grilled skinless chicken” and “lots of greens.” Speaking to Closer magazine, she went on to add: “It started with Strictly Come Dancing because I felt great by the end of the show and the live tour. But the main reason I wanted to do something about my figure was that I was so sick of extreme dieting and my weight yo-yoing.

“I just woke up one morning, and I’d had enough. For years and years – as long as I can remember – my weight had yo-yoed up and down. I’d go on fad diets like Atkins or I’d only eat eggs.” Letita said she had tried several diets, including the “yo-yo diet”, and said she had lost a stone in just a few weeks.

But this wasn’t sustainable for her, and she later fell back into her previous habits. Now, she eats a balanced diet, consuming around 1,300 calories per day, and exercises, including boxing and running, to keep her fitness levels up. The NHS states that women are recommended to consume 2,000 calories per day, while men are expected to consume around 2,500.

Last year, Letita revealed she was the victim of cruel social media trolling over her appearance. She said on the Secrets from the Square, EastEnders spin-off: “I had quite a lot of horrible things said about me. ‘She’s too fat, the other actors complain they can’t fit on the same set with her’.”

But ahead of her dramatic return to Albert Square after taking some time off from her work, Letitia has been flooded with compliments after the BBC One soap opera shared a teaser clip of her on social media.

Sharon was seen getting out of a black cab outside her house with her youngest son, Albie, after visiting Michelle in Australia. While wearing a figure-hugging pair of black leggings and a matching top, Sharon was stunned to see Zoe Slater, who had previously had an affair with Dennis Rickman, Sharon’s former lover.

“She looks incredible,” said one follower. A second went on to write: “And as gorgeous as ever. The Queen is back.” Meanwhile, another excited fan penned: “Sharon is back. Good to see Letita Dean back in EastEnders.” Letitia, who has been in the soap since its first ever episode previously explained how criticism had damaged her self-confidence, which resulted in her going under the knife as a teen for a breast reduction.

“Backache had a lot to do with that decision too,” she told Hello! magazine in October 2001. “But I was a lot less secure about myself and there was a lot of focus on how I looked. Occasionally, the attention on my appearance still bothers me – it bothers all women, doesn’t it? – but I have those things in perspective nowadays.”