Kettering: Weight loss TV programme has been 'life-changing'

A woman has said starring on a weight-loss television programme has proved "life changing".

Susan, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, applied to take part in Channel 4's Around The World in Eighty Weighs, as she "always struggled" with her weight.

The 57-year-old said she had managed to lose a total of four stone (25kg) since filming the show.

She said previous failed attempts to lose weight made her emotional.

Susan told BBC Northampton that the struggle made her so upset that on dog walks she "had to get in the car and go to another village" to avoid people asking how she was.

The series follows six obese people from Britain as they travel the globe to learn about the diets of other cultures.

In the first episode they visited Japan, where less than 10% of the population live with obesity.

Susan praised the discipline of Japanese people and their cuisine, which she has adopted into her own diet since coming home.

Continuing to eat the fermented foods she discovered in Japan, such as kimchi, made her feel "20 years younger", she said.

"I don't have my menopausal symptoms anymore... I sleep like a baby, I have so much energy that I'm quite annoying at the moment," she added.

In Tuesday night's episode the group visit Tonga - which is one of the most obese countries in the world.

"That was a real shock," said Sue describing her arrival in the island country.

She said she was surprised the country offered a free health service but "people just don't take it up and come back to the hospitals".

She praised Tonga's health minister and schools for trying to educate people about obesity.

Susan filmed the show over six weeks weeks and kept the details private from friends and family, using a building project at home as a ruse for her absence.