Letitia Dean Weight Loss: How She Dropped 2 Stones & 4 Dress Sizes

Learn about Letitia Dean's weight loss journey and get to know how she toned herself down with a well-balanced diet and a lifestyle-centric approach.

Sanchari Bhattacharya
Written by Sanchari Bhattacharya , Health & Fitness Expert
Updated on Apr 14, 2025 | 04:49 PM IST | 4.1M
Letitia Dean Weight Loss
Letitia Dean Weight Loss (Image Source: Getty Images)

Letitia Dean, the famous actress, took everyone by surprise when she lost weight, and her appearance at the National Television Awards left everyone awestruck. The EastEnders star has always been transparent about the struggles she has been through since the beginning of her career. Right from 1985, the popular TV personality grew in the public’s eye and eventually faced a lot of backlash due to her weight and appearance. This is why Letitia Dean's weight loss story grabbed the spotlight and took the Internet by storm, with many people eager to know her weight loss secrets. From ditching fad diets to having a dedicated workout routine - here is all about Letitia Dean's fitness journey.

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Who Is Letitia Dean?

Letitia Dean Weight Loss

(Image Source: Getty Images) 

Letitia Jane Dean is a renowned English actress and a trained singer. At the age of 12, she started performing professionally. Between the age of 13 to 17, she appeared on numerous television programs. 

In the year 1984, she auditioned for EastEnders and was selected due to her bouncy, attractive, and oddly vulnerable young personality which was similar to the character ‘Sharon Watts’. The soap opera has a total of 33 seasons and still airs on the channel, BBC. 

In 1995, she left EastEnders to pursue other acting roles. She made a comeback from 2001 to 2006. In 2012, she returned to the show and shared the screen with one of the three remaining original cast members.

Growing up in the public eye was reportedly difficult for her. The constant media attention on her appearance left her feeling disheartened. Her self-confidence was damaged and underwent a breast reduction in her teens. During her 30s, she was more comfortable with how she looked, and thus, far more relaxed about the public interest. 

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Letitia Dean’s Profile

Full Name: Letitia Jane Dean 

Age: 56 years

Birthdate: 14 November 1967

Birthplace: Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, England

Occupation: Actress and trained singer

Spouse: Jason Pethers (m. 2002 – d.2008)

What Made Letitia Dean Try Different Diets to Lose Weight?

Letitia Dean Weight Loss

Letitia confessed publically that since childhood, she was body shamed. She hit the television screens at a very early age and hence, was subjected to cruel trolling over her appearance. 

In one of the interviews, the star shared that for years and years, her weight had moved up and down. The other co-actors also complained that they couldn't fit on the same set with her. Hence, she went a step ahead and tried various diets, including the cabbage soup diet, Atkins, faddy regimes, and eggs-only diet. 

Research states that eggs are a rich source of minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. They are also important dietary sources of high-biological value protein. Although, egg-rich diets can have protective effects against metabolic syndrome, whole egg consumption has a significantly increasing effect on weight (1). 

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On the other hand, the Atkins diet is not only a fad diet but also a dangerous one. It is one of the low-carbohydrate diets that are unlikely to produce significant long-term weight loss and may lead to serious health problems, including an increase in fats and protein consumption (2). 

Talking about the cabbage soup diet — it is one of the fad diets for weight loss. Cabbage contains substances like lutein, zeaxanthin, kaempferol, quercetin, and apigenin, which have anti-inflammatory properties and improve glucose homeostasis as well as fat metabolism. Though exercise is discouraged on this diet, a little bit of weight loss is promised as per research (3). 

Letitia did manage to lose a stone in a few weeks by following these types of grueling diets, however, this didn't prove to be sustainable. She would inevitably fall back into her own self and gain weight all over again.

Read More: Teresa Giudice’s Weight Loss: How the Star Rose in Strength

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How Did Letitia Dean Shed Pounds?

In 2022, when the star appeared at the National Television Awards, she left viewers awestruck with her drastic body transformation. She had gone from weighing 10st 4lbs to 8st 3lbs, dropping four dress sizes in four months. She went from dress size 14 to 10 and never looked back. In one of the interviews, she gave credit to healthier meals, exercise, and long-term modifications in diet control.

The change in her lifestyle was an impromptu decision. She shared that one morning she just woke up and realized that have had enough of the fad diets and junk food. Saying goodbye to all the grueling diets was the secret to her weight loss.  Letitia shared that giving up one all-too-relatable vice helped her achieve her new look. She also has hit out at online scammers for using her profile to sell weight loss pills. 

Dean focused on making sustainable lifestyle changes and ditched all the weight loss-related quick fixes and faddy diets. With just simple changes in her everyday routine, the 56-year-old actress managed to lose weight successfully. 

Read More: Scott Disick Weight Loss: How the Drug Mounjaro Helped Him Transform

Letitia Dean's Diet for Weight Loss

Letitia Dean Weight Loss

Dean particularly avoided junk food, especially the ones that contained high calories in the form of sugar and fats. Additionally, she adopted an accessible routine and a lifestyle-centric approach to shed extra pounds. 

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The BBC star’s approach to food was indeed commendable. She stuck to a well-balanced diet, ensuring 1,300 calories a day. She confessed her love for a lasting diet that includes grilled skinless chicken and lots of greens. 

A research study claims chicken’s protein content ranges between 15 to 35%, depending on the water and fat content. It contributes to fats that play a number of important roles such as providing essential fatty acids and representing a major source of energy (4).

On the other hand, green leafy vegetables have excellent nutritional value. They mostly contain antioxidants, dietary fibers, minerals, α-linoleic acid, and vitamins which improve gut health (5). 

The popular personality also publically shared the reason behind including chicken and greens in her diet. She said that she wanted to do something about her figure as she was extremely sick of extreme dieting and the yo-yoing of her weight. 

The BBC star hence kept track of her calories, vouched for healthy foods, and managed to drop the necessary pounds with a balanced approach. According to research, caloric intake is of great importance for one’s health. It is a source of energy needed to sustain life. 

On average, a woman should consume 2000 calories daily to maintain her weight and limit her caloric intake to 1500 or less to lose 1 pound per week whereas males should eat 2000 to 2500 calories per day to maintain their body weight, or 2,000 a day, if he wants to lose 1 pound per week (6). 

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The actress complemented her diet with physical workouts such as running and boxercise. Below is a glimpse of her workout routine that led her to an incredible transformation. 

Letitia Dean’s Workout And Exercise Routine

Letitia Dean Weight Loss

Dropping a few kilograms made Letita feel confident. Along with her healthy eating regime, she carries out her exercises, runs, and does boxing to stay fit. Her waist size decreased, and she discovered she had more energy after switching from junk food. 

As per research, physical activity and fitness lead to additional improvements in health status (7). At the same time, boxing intervention is more efficient in developing physical fitness (8).

Though Letitia did not publicly disclose her workout routine but did share that walking, running, and going to the gym have helped her achieve her weight loss goals.

Read More: Tom Hanks’ Weight Loss Saga Is Incredible: Check out His Diet And Workout

Letitia Dean’s Before And After Weight Loss Images 

Before

Letitia Dean Weight Loss

(Image Source: Getty Images) 

After

Letitia Dean Weight Loss

(Image Source: Getty Images) 

Letitia Dean’s weight loss journey highlights the importance of eating a balanced diet and focusing on a workout routine. A combination of a healthy diet packed with all nutrient along with a rigorpis workpyt routine was the secret sauce of her fitness success. Moreover, her weight loss story is a source of encouragement and motivation for those who are navigating their own path to achieve a toned physique and better well-being.

Sources:

1.  The effect of whole egg consumption on weight and body composition in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10353215/

2. The Atkin’s diet controversy 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6074441/

3. Functional Foods in fad diets: A review

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327028063_Functional_Foods_in_fad_diets_A_review

4.  Role of poultry meat in a balanced diet aimed at maintaining health and wellbeing: an Italian consensus document 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462824/ 

5. Health Benefits and Therapeutic importance of green leafy vegetables (GLVs) 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346008586_Health_Benefits_and_Therapeutic_importance_of_green_leafy_vegetables_GLVs 

6. Calories 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499909/ 

7. Effects of Running-Specific Strength Training, Endurance Training, and Concurrent Training on Recreational Endurance Athletes’ Performance and Selected Anthropometric Parameters 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9518107/ 

8. The impact of a boxing training program on physical fitness and technical performance effectiveness 

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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326307335_The_impact_of_a_boxing_training_program_on_physical_fitness_and_technical_performance_effectiveness 

FAQ's

What was the motivation behind Letitia Dean losing weight?
The constant fluctuation in her weight motivated her to lose weight and adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

Has Letitia Dean spoken about her weight loss journey publically?
Yes, Letitia Dean publicly spoke about her weight loss journey, diet, and workout routine through interviews.

What health advice does Letitia Dean give to others?
Letitia Dean urges everyone to adopt a healthier lifestyle and follow a well-balanced diet.

About The Author
Sanchari Bhattacharya
Sanchari Bhattacharya
Health & Fitness Expert

Sanchari, a certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach and Naturopath, has 10+ years of experi...

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