Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley has been a central part of the soap’s cast for over two decades, playing the iconic Mandy Dingle, but her life is far from the TV show

Since making her debut as Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale in 1995, Lisa Riley has become a beloved figure on the show.

Known for her lively character and contagious joy, Mandy has been at the heart of some of Emmerdale’s most captivating storylines over the past three decades. These include her tumultuous love affair with Paddy Kirk and the shocking disclosure that she adopted her son Vinny while involved with Vinny’s abusive father Paul Ashdale.

Away from the cameras, Lisa has also faced her own share of drama, making the life-changing decision to overhaul her lifestyle by shedding an impressive 12 stone in just 18 months.

Unlike many celebrities who opt for quick fixes, Lisa’s primary goal was to lead a healthier lifestyle. This meant trading her usual takeaway meals for regular gym workouts and a healthier diet.

At her heaviest, Lisa was a size 28, before slimming down to a svelte size 12 (Image: Collect Unknown)

During this 18-month period, Lisa, originally from Bury, slimmed down from a size 28 to a sleek size 12. However, the weight loss journey wasn’t without its difficulties, as the star found herself dealing with painful folds of excess skin, weighing more than 1.5 stone.

In her 2017 documentary, Lisa Riley’s Baggy Body Club, Lisa tearfully admitted that her new body had left her feeling ‘revolted’ by her own image and even saw herself as a ‘saggy mess’, following the weight loss.

Lisa Riley opened up about the struggles she faced during her weight-loss transformation, telling fans: “When I made the decision to lose weight, I never for one second imagined that I would end up looking like that.”

Discussing the unforeseen consequences of her dramatic weight loss, she added: “It never occurred to me that the loose skin would be so bad. I thought why on earth have I lost all this weight? I looked worse than I did when I was obese. And it was the pain as well. The skin was flapping about and dragging.”

Sadly, as a result of the weight loss, Lisa was covered in painful rafts of excess skin (Image: ITV)

After losing substantial weight, Lisa was left suffering with pain due to excess skin, hampering her exercise routine. Describing the discomfort, she said: “When you are on this weight loss journey, food becomes the enemy and you have to go to the gym, you have to move.

“But the movement was becoming a severe problem. It really hurt, it rubbed and it would get red, and it was hard to clean between the folds.”

A documentary followed Lisa as she bravely chose to undergo surgery to remove her loose skin, a step taken by many individuals yearly.

Opening up about her fears surrounding the surgery, Lisa revealed how terror almost stopped her from proceeding. “The night before the surgery, I was so petrified everybody thought I wasn’t going to go through with it. was thinking that in 11 hours I could be dead. I might not wake up,” she confessed.

Following surgery, Lisa couldn’t be happier with the results as she finally felt confident in her own body (Image: No credit)

The star then confessed: “Could I have lived with the loose skin for the rest of my life? Yes, but I wouldn’t have been happy.Interestingly, while often considered a cosmetic procedure, Lisa felt that her skin removal was actually something very different.”

I don’t feel like I have had cosmetic surgery, I have corrected what I had done to myself,” explained the Emmerdale actress. Nobody made me eat 50 Twix bars, or a whole packet of sausages at one sitting. I did that to myself. No one made me not go to the gym. Some weeks I was probably having seven takeaways a week. I did that to myself. I have to take responsibility for that.”

“n total, Lisa underwent four gruelling surgical procedures, which included a fleur de lis tummy tuck, surgery to remove loose skin from her thighs, a boob lift and ‘bingo wings’ wings. As a result, it took the star around seven months in total to finally recover, with plenty of pain involved along the way. Now, at the end of that hard fought journey, Lisa admitted she couldn’t be happier with how she looks as she reflected: “I had never been able to wear sexy underwear, before it was all just functional, mumsy bras and big knickers. Now I can wear little sexy sets.

“On the train from Manchester to London, the old me would have had a coffee, baguette, red wine, crisps and a cake. Now I plan my meals and order a sparkling water, people can’t believe it.”