By Tina Campbell

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EastEnders favourite Letitia Dean has revealed the lifestyle changes behind her dramatic weight loss as she returns to screens following a break from Albert Square.

The actress, best known for playing Sharon Watts since the BBC soap’s very first episode in 1985, said she dropped two stone and four dress sizes in just four months after overhauling her eating habits.

The 56-year-old admitted she had relied on junk food for years and had tried a series of fad diets including Atkins and extreme egg-only plans, but nothing ever lasted.

“I just woke up one morning and I’d had enough,” she told Closer magazine. “For years my weight yo-yoed up and down. I’d go on fad diets and lose a stone in a few weeks, then fall back into bad habits.”

Dean said her turning point came after taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, when she realised how good she felt by the end of the live shows and the subsequent tour.

Now she sticks to around 1,300 calories a day, focusing on “grilled skinless chicken” and “lots of greens,” and keeps active with boxing and running. “I found I had so much more energy than when I used to eat junk food,” she added.

Her transformation has not gone unnoticed by fans. Ahead of her dramatic on-screen return, a teaser clip showing Sharon arriving back with son Albie sparked a wave of praise online. “She looks incredible,” wrote one follower, while another declared: “The Queen is back.”

Dean has previously spoken about how cruel comments on her appearance affected her confidence. During EastEnders spin-off Secrets from the Square, she recalled being targeted with jibes including: “She’s too fat, the other actors complain they can’t fit on the set with her.”

The actress has also been open about undergoing breast reduction surgery as a teenager, saying at the time she was deeply insecure about her looks. “Occasionally the attention on my appearance still bothers me,” she told Hello! in 2001, “but I have those things in perspective nowadays.”

Dean remains one of EastEnders’ longest-serving and most popular stars, having grown up on screen and been at the centre of many of the soap’s most dramatic storylines.