Chanelle Hayes says she became a 'hermit' and didn't want to leave her home when she went through a period of extreme weight gain.
The former Big Brother babe, 33, knew it was time for change after she slowly crept up to 17 stone - which left her fearful of leaving the house for a whole year as her confidence hit rock bottom.
The reality star, who has now lost an incredible seven stone after gastric sleeve surgery, was so 'ashamed' by her figure after gaining six stone, going from a size 8 to 18, and would prefer to shut herself off from everyone.
"It was horrendous. I didn't want to see or speak to anyone. I didn't even want to leave the house or go anywhere - I was like a hermit in my home," Chanelle told The Sun as she candidly spoke about how her binge-eating spiralled out of control.
"I didn't speak to anyone for a year. I literally saw nobody, so I definitely didn't have a love life. I didn’t even have a life."
Chanelle also revealed it became that bad, she started turning down job offers, which she says "massively impacted me financially".
"Then lockdown happened and I kept eating because of the stress and I just ballooned and got bigger and bigger," she added.
Thankfully, she is in a much better place and it appears the lockdown eventually worked in her favour, as she had a secret gastric sleeve fitted and has lost seven stone.
The surgery meant she had a large part of her stomach removed to limit her food intake.
Chanelle, who was often having to dash to hospital for urgent visits about her health, had to face the facts when her blood pressure rocketed and her heart rate became sky-high.
She now weighs just over 10 stone and looks absolutely fantastic.
The TV star has sworn off yo-yo dieting as she wants to set a good example for her kids, and doesn't want them to see her going through that phase.
Chanelle is now working as a student nurse and is hoping to become a fully qualified medic by 2024 - leaving her luxurious life in the spotlight behind.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
