How Did Dawn French Lose Weight?

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Dawn French had to lose weight due to health concern

British actress and comedian Dawn French has appeared in several movies and show in the past decades. She is popularly known in the sketch comedy series “French and Saunders,” which aired from 1987 to 2005, along with Jennifer Saunders.

Over the past years, the 64-year-old actress went through an incredible weight loss transformation. Per Express.co.uk, the actress has lost seven stone (98 pounds) after her split with her ex-husband, Lenny Henry, in 2011. After a few years, she decided to lose more weight for a particular reason.

Dawn needed to lose weight immediately ahead of her hysterectomy in 2014. The actress reportedly weighed 19 stone (266 pounds), and at the time, she had to undergo keyhole surgery after a cancer scare. She had no choice but to slim down.

“When I was due to have my hysterectomy, the doctor told me that if I could lose some weight before the op, they would be able to do it via keyhole, and I would recover in three weeks or so. Otherwise, it would be big open surgery and three months to recover,” Dawn explained.

Dawn French's Weight Loss Tricks

The main keys to Dawn’s successful weight loss:

  • She began losing weight ahead of her hysterectomy in 2014
  • She switched to low-calorie diet and began exercising more

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What did Dawn French do to lose weight?

In 2011, Dawn began losing weight, and there were speculations at that time that she had a gastric band fitted. Additionally, there were reports that she looked thinner because she suffered from stress after her divorce from Lenny Henry.

The actress revealed in 2014 that she had to lose weight to undergo a hysterectomy. During those times, the doctor thought the comedian had uterine cancer. And even though the results of the first biopsy came back clear, he ordered a second one.

Eventually, Dawn decided to have her womb removed via surgery. She was given a choice to have an invasive operation, but she chose keyhole surgery instead. Before the operation, she was told to lose weight to help ensure the procedure will be a success.

According to the comedian, she had to switch to low-calorie meals and started working out more. She followed the diet plan and began walking for weeks until she achieved her goals. The TV personality was very motivated with her weight loss journey and managed to lose pounds a few months after.

“It was grim. I lost a seven-and-a-half stone (about 105 pounds). I could have the keyhole surgery,” the “Vicar of Dibley” star revealed.

Dawn French revealed she had a hard time losing weight for the surgery

In an interview with The Mirror, the actress said she tried her best to maintain her weight loss by dieting and exercising. But then, her sweet tooth made it harder for her to avoid her favorite treats, and that’s a huge challenge on her weight loss journey.

“I have chocolate in the house, but I avoid it because I like it too much and I’m weak willed. So it is best for me to see it as ‘against the law.’ Except at Christmas time,” Dawn noted.

In 2014, the comedian revealed to The Telegraph that her weight fluctuates because eating remains a source of comfort for her. She said that “it’s a lovely thing to do” and “you don’t get to be spherical without liking eating things.”

Dawn French admits she struggles to maintain her weight - but she's fine with it

Although she managed to lose weight through a healthy diet and exercise, Dawn said she’s struggling to maintain her current weight. Yet, it appears as though the comedian isn’t bothered by it anymore, and she seems fine with her weight gain.

“I shed the weight a long time ago, I go up a bit, down a bit, feel no different. I’m still Dawn, I liked the old Dawn, I may go there again, depends how many doughnuts I decide to eat,” the actress told Loose Women.

Dawn said that she doesn’t “give a f**k” when it comes to her weight, and what’s important is that she can walk. She added that she never disliked anything about her body, even when she was “very fat.” She also shared that people patronized her when she lost weight, which made her angry.

“I used to get really angry when I did lose weight, people going, ‘You look so well,’ as if you looked awful before – rewarding you for managing it, which is not easy, I accept that. But I didn’t want people to give me approval. It’s so patronizing.”

Dawn French calls out fake diet advertisements using her image

In 2021, Dawn took to social media to slam the fake diet advertisements using her pictures, calling them “b******s” on Twitter. She hits back at the phony testimonial attributed to her and called out scammers who used her photos to promote dangerous diet pills.

She uploaded the screenshot of the fake advertisement about the keto diet on her Twitter account, writing, “Keto lies…” The testimonial showed “before and after” pictures of the comedian, with falsely attributed quotes from her.

“All I can say is that it works! I dropped a total of 6.4 stones in the course of five months! Beret the catch, with no exercise!” the fake testimonial reads. “I wanted to see if it would do as they claimed it would if I did no exercise, and to my surprise, it did – Dawn French, 61.”

Meanwhile, the TV personality’s followers reacted to the post and praised her for slamming the advertisement that promised a great result. One fan thanked Dawn for calling out the fake ads, especially since some people easily get taken in by advertisements like this.

In a report from The Sun, Dawn’s images were used in campaigns selling ketone pills, which were deemed as “controversial” weight loss products. The pill is sold for between £20 and £30 even though there’s limited scientific evidence on whether it could accelerate weight loss.

“I can’t stand that I am associated in any way – and none of us know what actually is in these pills. So much damage can be done. It’s truly dangerous,” Dawn said.

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