Catherine Tyldesley feels lucky she did not need an operation to lose weight.
The ‘Coronation Street’ actress was a size 22 as a teenager and was labelled as "the fat funny one" at auditions – but has since shed her excess weight and feels much better for it.
She shared: "There’s nothing wrong with that but that’s not what I wanted to do, I wanted to be the leading lady.
"Luckily I lost the weight so young that I’ve got away with not having operations to take away skin.
"For me, though, it’s no longer about weight loss but it’s about my son and how long I can be on this Earth for, I want to see my great grandchildren.
"I want to be fit and health and my job, this is intense, we work long hours. If you’re off ill you hold everyone else up so it’s respect for other people, too."
Meanwhile, Catherine – who has an 18-month-old son called Alfie with her husband Tom Pitfield – has recently turned her hand to recording music and admits her baby is a big source of inspiration.
She told the Sunday People newspaper: "I sang the beautiful jazz standard ‘Baby Mine’ every day to Alfie when I was pregnant.
"Now I sing it to him every night before he goes to sleep."
Catherine, 32, has even included the track on her album, which comes out in November.
But she confessed: "I can’t get through it without breaking down.
"The album is very salsa, very Strictly. Once you’ve had a child, they’re the most important thing in the world.
"He’s such a chilled out baby who loves music. He comes to band rehearsals and he’s fascinated by the instruments.
"We’re on this journey as a family. If we do do a few live dates next year, he’ll be beside me."
Catherine Tyldesley reveals weight loss motivation
