Linda Robson, who starred in The Bill and Birds of a Feather, said her weight had “yo-yoed so much over the years” as she also hit headlines in 2017 due to her extreme weight loss

Linda Robson has opened up about a diet that was “so strict” it came with a catalogue of “revolting” side effects.

The Loose Women star, 66, who openly admitted to struggling with her weight and body image, has tried everything from WeightWatchers to slimming pills, but insisted they’re “all horrible”.

She said one particular diet, which involved her living on packet soups, snack bars and milkshakes, made her breath stink and her hair fall out, while she was “starving the whole time”.

Linda told Woman magazine: “I’ve spent most of my life on one sort of diet or another, even when I probably didn’t need to. I’ve done WeightWatchers and used slimming pills – I’ve tried just about every one available, and they’re all horrible.”

Linda lived on packet soups, snack bars and milkshakes, but she was “starving the whole time” ( 
Image:
Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

She added: “They either give you diarrhoea or they send you hyper. The plan (with one diet) was so strict, and the side effects I experienced were revolting.

“My hair started falling out, my breath stank, and because I was literally living on packet soups, a snack bar and a milkshake – that’s all I would have all day – I was starving the whole time.”

She said it’s “not sustainable” and knew she “couldn’t last on it forever”, but as soon as she started eating like a “normal person” again, the weight “went back on”.

Linda, who admitted her weight had “yo-yoed so much over the years”, hit headlines in 2017 due to her extreme weight loss, which she found was down to abstaining from alcohol and sugar.

Linda said she’s tried everything from WeightWatchers to diet pills over the years ( 
Image:
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)
The Birds of a Feather actress said at the time that she felt “better” than she had done in “years”, but Linda was in the throes of some serious health issues, including alcoholism, OCD, and insomnia.

Reflecting on this time in her life, she said: “After I stopped drinking the wine, I went down to a size eight, and everyone was telling me how good I looked because of the weight loss, but inside, I was falling apart.

“I was spending whole days crying, and I looked absolutely terrible, really skinny like a skeleton… It was as if I was at death’s door, with hollowed-out cheeks and lines etched across my face.”

Fortunately, Linda started her journey to recovery after entering rehab in 2019, regaining weight and noticing a marked difference in her self-confidence.

She said she’s “never felt more confident” or “at ease” with who she is or how she looks, and remains sober to this day. In addition to cutting alcohol, Linda is a vegetarian and avoids fizzy drinks, but still enjoys the “odd biscuit.”

Linda said: “Life can change in a split second. I’m determined to give everything a go. I’d doing more in my 60s than I’ve ever done. I can’t think of anything worse than retiring. I’d be bored out of my mind!”