The soap actress, 49, has shared her pride in her weight loss journey

Lisa Riley was flooded with praise from fans after sharing before and after photos of her incredible weight loss.

The Emmerdale star, best known for playing Mandy Dingle in the long-running ITV soap and appearing in I’m A Celebrity last year, has been open about her journey to shed the pounds and get fit for her 50th birthday.

Lisa, 49, has lost an incredible 12 stone, dropping from a size 28 to a size 12-14 by overhauling her lifestyle rather than using fad diets.

She has cut out alcohol, eats healthier and smaller portions and also stays active, taking part in yoga and gym sessions.

The actress even lost an additional 20 lbs in just 21 days while appearing on I’m A Celebrity due to the campmates diet of rice and beans.

Sharing her pride while looking at past photos of herself, Lisa said she was finally seeing what others were who were complimenting her on her weight loss as she shared a snap of her playing Mandy on Emmerdale alongside a recent photo of herself noticeably slimmer and with a huge grin.

Lisa wrote: “Some days like today you are allowed to pat yourself on the back. I was looking back at old photos and now I can REALLY see what others are seeing-just how much I’m loving my fitness at the gym.

“THANK YOU @villagegym #leeds I’m proud to be a AMBASSADOR!!! it’s good to be active…..especially now I’m approaching that 50th Birthday in July #fit #fitness #gym #keepmoving feeling very proud.”

Her friends and followers were quick to shower Lisa with praise, with one writing in the comments: “You look amazing!”

A second said: “You’re Looking Incredible Lisa!”, with a third adding: “You look outstanding Lisa, just beautiful xx.”

“Looking fabulous, every weight journey is hard , iv just lost 8 stone,” another commented.

Speaking on This Morning in 2017 Lisa explained: “What happened was I decided to lose weight for me. Everything I had tried previously didn’t work.

“I did Slimming World, [but] all those sorts of things didn’t work for me, probably because I wasn’t being honest and dedicated to myself. I just did it for me and I was patient and I had to realise all the mistakes I had made year after year.”

Now she keeps a food diary and goes to zumba.

Before she admitted her ‘vice’ was crisps and alcohol was her ‘comfort blanket’.

Typical lunches used to be a toastie with fries and a fizzy drink, reports Hello, while chocolate bars, sandwiches and bowls of cereal constituted snacks. Pasta and white bread were also in regular rotation.

She has now reduced her portion sizes and includes more nutrient-dense options and fresh food, with breakfasts now likelyto be porridge and honey; lunch could be butternut squash soup with oatcakes; and dinner is cod with roasted vegetables. Snacks include nuts, fruit and coffee.