Sir Lenny Henry's dramatic three-stone weight loss after warning from doctor

British comedy icon Sir Lenny Henry has undergone a staggering three-stone weight loss after being handed a sobering health alert from his GP. The star, aged 66, tragically lost his mother Winifred due to complications arising from uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes in 1998.

His doctors cautioned him that he was at risk of facing the same fate unless significant changes were made regarding his diet and exercise routine. The much-loved entertainer, who is back on our screens tonight with his new Channel 4 show Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry, realised it was time for change when everyday activities like getting in and out of a car became challenging.

The Dudley-born star shared: "My mum lost two legs through diabetes and eventually died from it, so I knew I had to lose weight. The doctor warned me I was heading the same way."

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Known for his marriage to fellow comedian Dawn French whom he separated from in 2020, Sir Lenny began altering his lifestyle back in 2011 during preparations for a role in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.

With four intensive hours of demanding rehearsals every day, he expressed that he didn't "want to be a heffalump running around the stage". In an effort to boost his physical condition, he embraced Ashtanga yoga and running, said farewell to sugar, and toned down his alcohol intake.

Reflecting on his dietary efforts, he commented: "Dieting is tedious, but I feel better for it." Following the curtain call on the play, Sir Lenny maintained his new health-conscious habits, broadening his exercise repertoire to include dance, Pilates, and even military-style workouts.

Nonetheless, in the subsequent year he observed a creeping increase in his weight, prompting him to adopt another diet in 2014 to eliminate the excess weight. Lenny revealed: "I'm a bit diabetic so I was put on a very strict diet. I've lost between two and a half and three stone. I was big."

Discussing his diet, he shared: "It's lots of greens, lots of juice and lots of walking. Swimming is good. You've got to eat no sugar and drink hardly any alcohol... all the stuff you like. You can't Hobnob your way through the day".

He previously confessed to the Daily Mail in 2015: "It's hard, but like anything, if you put your mind to it, you can do it."