'My gastric sleeve has given me a fresh start'

Former Big Brother winner Nadia Almada exclusively tells new about her transformation and hopes to do more TV

- BEX APRIL MAY

It’s a year of milestones for Big Brother icon Nadia Almada. Exactly 20 years since she made TV history by becoming the first transgender person to win Big Brother –and captured the hearts of the nation – Nadia is turning heads once again. That’s because the star isn’t just celebrating the anniversary of her win, but another major milestone: a dramatic weight loss transformation.

The reality TV legend, 47, has lost more than six stone over the last few months, going from 17st 6lb down to 11st 8lb. After jetting to Turkey to undergo gastric sleeve surgery in March this year, the 5ft 3in star has dropped from a size 20 to a size 12 – and, she tells us, saved her life in the process.

Here, Nadia opens up about feeling like a new woman, the surprising reason that made her choose the surgery, and her dreams to return to Big Brother house, 20 years on…

Hi, Nadia! What was the turning point that made you decide to get the gastric sleeve?

My mum told me to do it! I spent Christmas with my family in Portugal, and when she told me I should get the surgery, it was the relief and reassurance that I needed. I was a size 20 and a shadow of my former self. I had no stamina, no energy, no vitality – and there was a higher risk of having major heart problems or a stroke from the weight that I’d been carrying. Plus, I couldn’t wear heels because my feet were so swollen. That was the last straw.

How has the transformation changed how you feel about yourself?

It’s a new start, a fresh beginning. I feel prettier slender, but it’s not just the physical side, I’m also happy that I’ve been able to reverse a lot of the damage that I’d done to my body. Within just three months, my cholesterol and thyroid levels had gone down. I can’t wait to see how much better my body is coping. I’ve got more energy and I just feel better with myself. It was really life-saving surgery for me.