Claire Richards - Slave to Food

I suppose people only want to pay her for weight related interviews and TV Shows which is why she keeps doing it so maybe it's another vicious circle. She did that Popstar to Operastar thing recently too.

I guess thats what people pay her good money for doing now rather than her singing. I think she has to continue to work I don't think they made enough in Steps to not continue to work.

I follow her on twitter and she's had a huge amount of stick for doing the program, I think she's being really honest though.

I agree it takes a lot of courage to be so open about he battle with food and yo yo dieting and she genuinely wants to do something about it.

Seeing her at the Maccie's Drivethru, I just saw myself. Then again at the buffet on holiday, bit of everything piled high on the plate.

My weight has always been an issue and I think it will always be, I just wish food wasn't so effing nice!

But you're not even fat Flange!

I carry hardly any weight above my waist but my a$$ is gigantic and I have large hips and thighs, typical pear shape (I cannot get into size 16 jeans in most shops). I'm 12st 7lb which I know is not enormous but I'm definitely over weight. When I was 14 (and a hefty 9st) my uncle told me I was getting fat and I would have an ar$e the size of a car by the time I was 21. Rather than make me starve myself or go for a run, that sent me straight to fridge. I've always had comments about my weight throughout my adult life - always from men! A friend of my auntie's once said he remembered me when I had a normal sized bum. My ex used to call me A$$ Malone, Dumpy, and once referred to me as his "ever increasing girlfriend".

I think because I've had comments like this in the past (these are a few of many), I always feel like I need to point out my faults before other people can do it, I don't feel so bad about myself if I get the comments in there first. Another thing is that women in general don't instantly take to me, they think I am miserable and full of myself which couldn't be further from the truth, which I think is another reason I've taken to pointing out my faults, so that people don't think I am full of myself.

Well I agree with you jojo, its so honest it hurts. She had my crying.

I know that she's getting herself the press by doing shows and articles about her weight but I actually truly believe that she is making her own incentives. As a serious weight struggler I know you need big incentives sometimes (like a wedding - literally the ONLY thing thats ever worked for me)

If its true that Steps are reuniting then Claire needs to be thin again and she desperately wants that but she can't at her current state (or current at the time of the show) She was given a timescale to get into a bikini and only this could give her the motivation she needed. Same when she posed naked. She has proved time and time again that she can do it, but the documentary has also shown that she has serious mental issues with food (like me!!!) and she will turn around from that success and stuff her face with cakes and indian takeways (like me!!)

I'm sorry but I actually don't care if shes in it for the money the show is excellent, brutally honest and a lesson for people like me!

I haven't seen this - when is it on? I'd be interested in seeing it as I have a fairly weird self-destructive relationship with food too.

If it wasn't for her battles with her weight being plastered across Closer magazine and the Daily Mail website, what would she have been famous for since Steps?

An appearance on Popstar To Operastar?

She is exactly the same as Natalie Cassidy, Hannah Waterman, Claire Nasir, Kerry Katona and Jade Goody - there is a lull in their career and they lose weight to make money from it and to keep their mugs in the media. In the beginning they used to get papped looking overweight and would then get approached to do a fitness DVD, but lately it looks like they set the paps up to take the photos to kickstart their weightloss exposure. Claire Nasir, I'm looking at you...

Some of the people I mentioned do actually have a talent and it seems a shame that they don't use it...

I still stand by what I say, if thats the incentive she needs then good on her for doing it.

The fat picture of her in a bikini was the top selling issue of whatever mag and the editor was horrified haha!

Its on Wednesday on Living at 9pm, sadly its part 3 of 3 this week. Its worth trying to find the earlier eps.

I agree, like I said before, that's probably all people want to pay her for these days.

Sorry, my comments were more aimed at Claire and her saying that she doesn't want to be famous for just being either fat or thin not at you. ?

Of course x x x ?

I always wonder what it must be like for people who have seen reasonable success and fame and filled stadiums or appeared in big films etc to then have the work dry up and have to go back to being a normo. I think for a lot of them things like this (diet/exercise vids and interviews or reality shows) are the only way they can make money without getting a job down at Maccies or at best doing the club circuit.

Has anyone on here ever seen an "ex" celeb doing a normal job? Or worked with one?

Haha, I didn't want you to think I was going all gangster at you!

I wonder how much she earnt from being in Steps? It couldn't have been that much as there were five of them, they didn't write the songs and weren't around for that long.

Bet she regrets leaving to form the H and Claire duo...

Lol, you daft thing I never thought anything of it! I didn't want you to think I was disagreeing with what you were saying cause I wasn't, I was just trying to say I think that was what CR herself was trying to say. She gets paid for being fat or thin and although that seems to be her "job" now, she wishes it wasn't and she was still famous for her voice.

Actually this is an excellent question, we should have a thread on that Panjita!! I'd loev to hear stories. I've never met or even seen anyone famous in real life outside of a concert situation obviously!