EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Riley reveals key to her inspirational weight loss after I’m A Celeb star shed 12 stone
Emmerdale icon Lisa Riley has explained how she won’t be raising a glass of champagne to ring in the new year – as kicking alcohol completely has been key to sensational transformation
Fresh from her emotional stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley is going into the New Year happier than ever – and there won’t be a glass of bubbly in sight. The star, who lost 20lb during her time in the camp, ditched alcohol 10 years ago, with a source telling new the decision has transformed her life.
“After quitting the booze she feels really good. She’s clear-headed, she’s getting up in the morning, she’s not feeling low,” the source said. “She’s really enjoying life without it.”
Opening up while in the jungle, Lisa explained how her drinking escalated after her mother Cath passed away in 2012 from cancer. In a candid conversation with her campmates, she confessed she used alcohol to numb her pain. “When Mum died, I genuinely couldn’t cope,” she said, describing booze as “the biggest plaster I could put on myself”.
Lisa has previously revealed how losing her beloved mum left her so devastated the only thing that soothed her was drinking. She said, “The wine took the edge off, it truly, truly did. I was a bit of a grey cloud, because I wasn’t happy in myself.”
The soap star, 49, admitted she would routinely drink “three bottles of Malbec every night”, adding, “Mentally, I needed it.” But our source says Lisa has never looked back since embracing sobriety, and her booze-free life, coupled with being loved-up, has completely turned her fortunes around.
“Lisa’s key to happiness is being sober, but also the love of her man and just really enjoying every moment of life,” the source said. “She had a few downs in the last year and I think she did the jungle, in a way, to appreciate everything – the smaller things in life.”
Lisa has been with her American musician boyfriend Al since 2014, after meeting through friends. The pair got engaged four years later, with delighted Lisa writing on Instagram that her fiancé is “my soul mate and best mate and love of my life”.
She added, “Al is the best thing to have ever happened to me…. we have absolutely NO date set for ANY wedding day, just happy together… zero fuss, just firmed our togetherness.” Explaining why they are such a good match, our source said, “He is really supportive. He really loves her and he tells her how wonderful she is. You could see when Al visited her in camp how adorable they are together. He just encourages her and whatever makes Lisa happy makes him happy.”
Opening up earlier this year about the life-changing moment when she decided to go sober, Lisa said, “I had my last ever drink in a pub in Bury. I was in The Clarence with relatives, reminiscing about my mum one August. We drank a lot and I said to myself, ‘I’m not doing this any more.’ I set myself a challenge to stop drinking until Christmas.
“When I went to a family christening that October, there was pressure to drink, but that was everyone else’s problem, not mine. I then started to play a bit of a game with myself about how long I could go, but got a bit obsessed and fixated on the numbers.”
The star celebrated a decade of being sober on 19 August, saying she has “never felt better”. She said, “I’ve realised how brilliant my life is and feel like I don’t need it [alcohol]. It’s not like I ever faced a major struggle, I just don’t need it, like it or want it any more.”
Lisa says her partner still drinks, but she doesn’t mind at all, saying, “Some people find it weird, but I’ve always had a big personality and don’t need a drink to shine.” As well as working wonders for her relationship and her mental health, being teetotal helped Lisa keep the weight off. She’s trimmer than ever following her I’m A Celeb success.
Our source said, “She lost so much weight in the jungle and feels really fit and healthy. That show really helped her in so many ways. She felt she was a real mummy of the jungle and everyone came to her, and it’s given her a real confidence boost. Plus, on the body front, she’s never felt better. Her skin’s great, she looks great and she’s going to continue it.”
The source says Lisa “wants to capitalise on her success” and take on other projects outside Emmerdale, which she’s starred in for 30 years. “Lisa has big plans for 2026,” our source said. “She wants to do more presenting. She’d love to do more in fashion, things that are different, and she’s got this new confidence from being in the jungle.”
They added, “She doesn’t want to be known just as a Mandy Dingle. She’d love to work on This Morning and is hoping ITV will look at her as being like a Cilla Black sort of person. She showed her tender, soft side on the show, so she’s hoping ITV might give her a break.”
Keeping in shape is also a priority going forward, with new pal Vogue Williams offering encouragement.
“Lisa wants to continue with the weight loss,” our insider said. “She’s really looked at how she’s lost weight and how much better she feels for it. She’s taken inspiration from Vogue doing exercises in camp. She wants to have a healthy lifestyle. It really is a new start for her.”
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