EastEnders star Letitia Dean made her debut as Sharon Watts in 1985 and has become one of the most recognisable faces on TV.
The actress, 55, was an original cast member aged just 17 and played a central part in several major storylines before quitting the role in 1995.
Letitia then reprised the role in 2001 until 2006 before making an official comeback in 2012.
READ MORE: EastEnders fans floored as Duncan Boyd looks 'unrecognisable' during BBC return
The former Queen Vic landlady hit headlines last year however, when fans picked up on the star's weight loss transformation and rushed to social media to comment on how incredible she looked.
Daily Star has looked into Letitia's weight loss journey and how she dropped four dress sizes in just four months.
Letitia has been open about her body image struggles and revealed trolls often targeted her because of her weight.
She explained that the constant abuse led to her getting a breast reduction when she was a teenager in a bid to stop the nasty comments.
Speaking on the EastEnders spin-off show Secrets from the Square in 2020, Letitia admitted: "I had quite a lot of horrible things said about me. 'She's too fat, the other actors complain they can't fit on the same set with her'."
Discussing her decision to go under the knife, the actress told Hello! Magazine: "But I was a lot less secure about myself and there was a lot of focus on how I looked.
"Occasionally, the attention on my appearance still bothers me – it bothers all women, doesn't it? – but I have those things in perspective nowadays."
Following her return to the soap from 2001 until 2006, Letitia took part in Strictly Come Dancing one year later and confessed the main reason for doing the show was to change her lifestyle and stop "yo yo" dieting.
The star, who finished fourth alongside partner Darren Bennett, told Closer: "It started with Strictly Come Dancing because I felt great by the end of the show and the live tour.
"But the main reason I wanted to do something about my figure was that I was so sick of extreme dieting and my weight yo-yoing.
"I just woke up one morning, and I'd had enough. For years and years – as long as I can remember – my weight had yo-yoed up and down. I'd go on fad diets like Atkins or I'd only eat eggs."
While the actress explained she was able to "lose a stone in a couple of weeks" through extreme dieting, it wasn't long before she slipped back into old habits and "put it all on again".
Letitia also released a fitness DVD in 2008 titled Letitia Dean's Lean Routine
Last year, when Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) was preparing to marry Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) on the BBC soap, fans couldn't wait to compliment Letitia on how incredible she looked as Sharon sported a figure-hugging navy dress.
"Sharon looks absolutely stunning at the moment," shared one viewer as another penned: "How did Sharon lose so much weight? Whatever it is I want it too."
A third wrote: "Sharon looks so good in #EastEnders as someone else gushed: "I can’t get over how fantastic Sharon looks #eastenders."
While a fifth echoed: "Can we all take a minute to appreciate how good Sharon Watts looks on #EastEnders?! Wow."
Opening up on her weight loss which saw her go from 10st 4lbs to 8st 3lbs, the actress revealed she focused on healthy foods including: "Pitta bread with a grilled skinless chicken breast, for instance, and lots of greens."
After ditching the junk food in her diet, the actress confessed she had "so much more energy," reported The Express.
It was also claimed that Letitia opted for a new diet plan which saw her reduce her daily calorie intake to 1,300.
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