Comedian Helen Lederer reveals she was hooked on diet pills in the 90s and ... trends now

Comedian Helen Lederer has candidly revealed that she was hooked on diet pills in the nineties. 

The Absolutely Fabulous star, 69, who just joined the cast of Coronation Street appeared on Wednesday's BBC Breakfast where she discussed her new memoir Not That I'm Bitter.

She discussed taking the pills in her younger years saying it was 'just what people did in those days'.

Helen explained to hosts Sally Nugent and Jon Kay: 'I met someone at an audition and she looked amazing. She was teeny tiny and she suggested them so I got some.

'In those days you could just get them. All I drank was wine and eat crackers. Just for a bit. 

'But this is what people did in those days. We all do things improve ourselves but to what lengths do we all go?'

Helen saw her weight yo-yo from a size 10 to a size 16 throughout her career and said earlier this month: 'It was truly like I was living the Ab Fab life: I'm the muggins who's really doing it.' . 

'I was no stranger to testing something out if I needed to lose weight, I didn't care how I did it,' the actress said in a new interview with The Sun. 

'I would have phases of going on and off slimming pills for many years. When they worked, I thought they were great, but it wouldn't be long before your heart was racing.

'I remember there was a comedy series I did in Scotland and I don't think I ate any food once while taking them, I just drank a lot of wine. Now I look back and think, 'How?' But back then people just did this stuff and got on with it.'

Helen said she turned to slimming pills as she never has had a 'model figure' and always wanted the perfect body. 

The actress said when she was at her skinniest she was 'fed up' and miserable' and soon put the weight she had lost back on. 

Helen said the

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