At only 5 foot 1 and weighing in at a frightening 266 lbs, Michelle McManus was not your average pop star. Yet since winning the ITV hit talent show Pop Idol in 2003, the 24-year-old Glaswegian defied critics and piled on a further 40 pounds. At the end of 2004, Michelle decided enough was enough and agreed to subject her eating habits to "You Are What You Eat" analysis through the show's tough but fair presenter Gillian McKeith, and overhaul her entire approach to food and alcohol. Now Michelle has shed nearly half her body weight. This is a no-holds-barred diary of her year, by turns moving, shocking, and full of the fun, feisty, straight talk for which she is famous, as well as featuring exclusive meal and exercise plans, so you can adopt her healthy living approach at home.
Aged only 23, Michelle McManus became an overnight sensation when she won ITV's hit talent show, Pop Idol, in 2003. The bubbly Glaswegian with the amazing voice may not have looked like your average pop star, but the British public took her to their hearts nonetheless, sending her debut single straight to number one. Since then, with a bestselling album under her belt, she has gone on to make headlines for her extraordinary new healthy living lifestyle, as supervised by Gillian McKeith, and featured in C4's top-rated series, You Are What You Eat. She is currently hard at work recording her next album.