Jennifer Ellison looked incredible as she lounged poolside in Turkey on Wednesday after revealing she had given up fad diets.
The 40-year-old former Brookside star, who wore a size 18 at her largest, showed off her figure in a cropped yellow bikini.
She paired it with tonal thong pants and protected her face from the sun with a straw trilby hat.
In September, Jennifer – who found fame as Emily Shadwick in Brookside – revealed that she had quit the diet and was happy with her weight of just over 10 pounds after years of yo-yo dieting.
She told new things! Magazine: “I’m not the smallest I’ve ever been, but I’m at a happy weight that makes me feel good putting on a bikini or a costume at the pool.”
Amazing: Jennifer Ellison, 40, looked incredible as she lounged poolside in Turkey on Wednesday after revealing she had given up fad diets
Stunning: The former Brookside star showed off her figure in a short yellow bikini
Transformation: Jennifer recently revealed she is a size 18 at her largest (pictured in 2015)
She added: “I’m in a happy and confident place.” I’m about 10¾ at the moment. I no longer feel like I’m on this hamster wheel of having to look great. I stopped dieting.
“When you do fad diets, they don’t work, so I gave up.” “My weight has gone up and down so much over the years that now I just try to eat healthy.”
Jennifer told the publication that she lost her confidence after gradually gaining weight and going down to a size 18.
She recalled: “My agent called me and the idea of going to an audition… declined. I would say, ‘I can’t do that.’ I had lost my self-confidence. I had literally given up on myself.
Last year, Jennifer – who has three sons Bobby, Harrison and Charlie with husband Rob – revealed before taking part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins: “I had given up on myself. “I never looked in the mirror.
“I didn’t think I would ever be able to go on stage again because no one wanted me.” “I had gone from the girl known for her acting and men’s magazines to this mother and teacher.”
Jennifer previously admitted during an appearance on Loose Women: “I was scared of seeing people from my past because I thought they would look at me and think, ‘What the hell happened to you?’
“People in the stores said, ‘My God, you’ve gained weight, haven’t you?’ I was a size 18 in self-destruct mode. I wouldn’t look in the mirror, I didn’t care. Everything was about my (sons).’
In September, Jennifer – who found fame as Emily Shadwick in Brookside – revealed she had quit the diet and was happy with her weight of just over 5kg
Lifestyle: The actress shared how she went on a yo-yo diet for years
Confident: She told us new things! Magazine: “I’m not the smallest I’ve ever been, but I’m at a happy weight that makes me feel good when I slip into a bikini or a costume at the pool.”
Ready for the beach: She added: “I’m in a happy and confident place.” I’m about 10¾ at the moment. I no longer feel like I’m on this hamster wheel of having to look great. I stopped dieting.
Changes: Jennifer continued: “When you do fad diets, they don’t work, so I gave up.” My weight has risen and fallen so much over the years that now I just try to eat healthy.
Past: Jennifer told the publication that she lost her confidence after gradually gaining weight and going down to a size 18
She decided to take drastic measures and went to a detox center where she was restricted to a tiny 400 calories a day.
Jennifer added: “I would eat a piece of apple, run six miles and come back hungry.” I was told what, to me, was the perfect analogy about wanting to help your boy – for example, if you need to put on a aviation oxygen mask, you have to put that on first set up your own.
“To be a good mother to them you have to take care of yourself. “For me it was self-neglect, it was all about the boys.”
Jennifer rose to fame in 1998 in Brookside, where she played the role of Emily Shadwick until 2003. During this time she became the darling of boys’ magazines.
She shares her three children Bobby, Harrison and Charlie with husband Rob Tickle, whom she married in October 2009.