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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katherine Heslop

Inside Rebel Wilson's five stone weight loss - simple routine that transformed star

Ever since Rebel Wilson arrived on our screens as Fat Amy in the 2012 movie Pitch Perfect, boldly declaring: "I'm the best singer in Tazmania, with teeth," and then showing off her "mermaid dancing" moves, she has been making millions laugh on their sofa.

She solidified her place on the Hollywood A-list with hilarious roles in How to be Single, The Hustle and Isn't It Romantic, as well as the other two Pitch Perfect films.

Over the last year however, the star, 42, has turned heads for a different reason, following her incredible 5.5 stone weight loss which she says has left her feeling "so much healthier".

Rebel Wilson at an awards ceremony in Australia in December last year (Getty Images for AFI)
Rebel says she feels healthier after her incredible weight loss (Rebel Wilson/Instagram)

The actress is set to host tonight's BAFTAs and even poked fun of her much-talked of weight loss when speaking about her presenting duties, adding that she was "honoured" to be given the gig.

"It's going to be so much fun! I don't wanna put any pressure on this - I know I'm not going to be funny because I am no longer fat," she said.

Ahead of the ceremony, we've taken a look at the reasons behind the star's transformation and how she shed the pounds.

Rebel Wilson in 2015 at an awards ceremony in London (WireImage)
The Pitch Perfect star again in 2015, at the MTV Movie Awards (Getty Images for MTV)

Speaking on the Life Uncut podcast in January this year, Rebel said she been a "normal size" when she was younger, but in her twenties gained weight after she was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).

The star also revealed that her size was one of the factors behind pursuing a career in comedy.

She said most comedians "often have something physical about them that's abnormal" – hence why they take up comedy.

"Those people tend to go better in comedy," she said, "so I turned what was turned into a lot of agents as a disadvantage into my advantage."

Rebel at the BAFTAs in 2020 (PA)
The Aussie actress looked different as she returned to host in 2022 (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Rebel spoke about wanting to play Pitch Perfect's Fat Amy, and opting to do so because she was the funniest character in the franchise.

She said: "I just loved being Fat Amy. And I just loved being that character."

The Bridesmaid star has always been careful to explain her health was the reason she underwent the transformation, and said she had a wake-up call after going to see a medic about her fertility.

During the appointment, the doctor frankly informed the comic that if she wanted to improve her chances of becoming a mother that the best route would be to lose excess weight.

Reflecting on the chat that spurred her on to gradually lowering the amount of calories she was consuming alongside starting HIIT workouts, she said: "When I was going through and looking into fertility stuff, the doctor was like, 'Well, you'd have a much better chance if you were healthier'.

Rebel Wilson shows off her physique as she dresses up as Britney Spears one of the star's iconic music videos (rebelwilson/Instagram)
The star has been on a weight loss journey since 2020 (Getty Images)

During the honest Instagram live, Rebel continued: "I was actually a bit offended. I thought that even though I was bigger, I was pretty healthy. So that's what started it - that if I lost some excess weight, it would give me a better chance of freezing eggs and having better quality eggs."

"At first it wasn't even for myself, it was thinking of a future mini-me and their quality."

Rebel has also spoken of how she suffered from "emotionally eating" and she knew she needed to learn to love herself.

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Speaking on Drew Barrymore's talk show, Drew, the actress explained: “For the last few years I've been theming my years, so I had the Year Of Fun, last year I had the Year Of Love and this year I’m like, 'It’s going to be the Year Of Health', because I turned 40 this year in March and I never really focused on my health which was probably obvious."

As her life became more hectic by the day, the blonde beauty soon realised that she was turning to food whenever times got tough.

Rebel Wilson working out, as part of her mission to get healthier (Rebel Wilson/Instagram)
Rebel Wilson has appeared in a number of comedy films, including Bridesmaids and Isn't it Romantic (Getty Images for La Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco)

“I was going all around the world, jet setting everywhere and eating a ton of sugar that was kind of my vice.

“I think what I mainly suffered from was emotional eating and dealing with the stress of becoming famous internationally.

“There is a lot of stress that comes with it and I guess my way of dealing with it was just like eating donuts,” she said.

How Rebel lost the weight

In November, Rebel revealed how she used to eat up to 3,000 calories "most days", before switching to a high-protein diet, which involved eating fish and chicken breast.

She admitted that there is still room for cheating on the diet, here and there, and said she was aiming for an overall "healthy balance".

She said: "I have this state of being, which is not my quote, but I go 'Nothing is forbidden.' We’ll be like, 'Should we get In-N-Out burger?' And I'm like, 'Nothing is forbidden.' I can go there, I just might eat half of what I used to eat before.

"You know? And I'll have a burger, and a few fries, and then you feel fine."

Rebel Wilson has chronicled her weight loss journey on Instagram (rebel wilson/Instagram)
The actress says walking has helped her shed the pounds (Rebel Wilson/Instagram)

The actress attended a health- orientated retreat in Austria to kickstart her health journey which helped her to focus on her goal.

The retreat also focused on flushing "out every toxic substance possible in all sorts of crazy ways," she said in an interview with Shape magazine.

But from then, Rebel learnt that " moderate walking is the best way for me to lose unnecessary body fat."

A doctor explained to her that it "doesn't have to be high-intensity, doesn't have to be uphill, just moderate walking an hour a day."

The Pitch Perfect star said she would also head out with trainer Gunnar Peterson and listen to uplifting motivational podcasts.

"Now that I know I can do it, sometimes I feel sad that I didn't do it earlier,' she told InStyle.

“Maybe I should have tried when I was 30, not 40. But everybody’s journey is different, and it’s not a race or competition.”

In an interview with The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed and Erin, Rebel was asked whether her physical transformation had changed her as a person.

Rebel Wilson has been on an inspiring health journey since 2020 (Rebel Wilson/Instagram)
The star regularly shares stunning snaps of herself on Instagram (rebelwilson/Instagram)

"I like to think I looked good at all sizes and stuff and I've always been quite confident. So it wasn't like I wasn't confident and then now I'm, like, super confident," she replied.

"I think what's been really interesting to me is how other people treat you," she continued.

"Sometimes being bigger, people didn't necessarily look twice at you, and now that I'm in a good shape, like, people offer to carry my groceries to the car and hold doors open for you.

"I was like, 'Is this what other people experienced all the time?'"

Rebel Wilson says she feels a lot healthier after losing weight (PA)
The actress is set to host the BAFTAs this evening (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Speaking to Drew Barrymore she said: "What I was doing was to improve my overall health and to improve my whole lifestyle to make me a happier, healthier person," she continued.

Rebel added: "I love my curves and stuff, I don't think I'll ever go too skinny, but I feel so much healthier."

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