Damo & Ivor star and TV producer Jules Coll has said her decision to to undergo radical weight loss surgery was the "greatest thing that ever happened" to her.
Jules, who played DJ Deirdre in the hit RTÉ2 comedy, lost nine stone after she decided to tackle her weight, which had ballooned to nineteen stone following years of poor diet and a struggle with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
She eventually opted to undergo a gastric bypass, which was documented in the RTÉ documentary Nine Stone Lighter and in the process, kick-started a new regime and lease of life.
Speaking on the Nicky Byrne with Jenny Greene show on 2FM on Friday ahead of the release of her autobiography, Flabyrinth, Jules said the decision to undergo surgery has transformed her life.
"It turned out to be greatest thing that ever happened to me, because it gave me the tools to control my over-eating", she said.
Jules: before and after
However, she cautioned that the surgery wasn't an easy fix as she had to radically change what she ate and start going to the gym six to seven days a week.
Jules said that before getting to grips with her weight she "was extremely unhappy" in her physical appearance" and admitted to "very dark negative thoughts in my head".
She told Nicky how she went to see a psychiatrist to get to the root of her addiction to food and said that despite being a dynamic personality admitted that the "only thing I perpetually failed at was getting a grip with my weight".
Jules and Nicky on Friday morning
She said the reaction to the RTÉ documentary, Nine Stone Lighter, was overwhelming and that it convinced her to set up a website to share her experience and give advice to others who want to loose weight.
Now she has documented her story in her new book which features a very eye-catching cover.
In case you wondering - they are real doughnuts (which used to be Jules' favourite food). Over one thousand of them were ordered for the photoshoot. which Jules said had been inspired by the iconic poster for the James movie American Beauty.
"I know it's mostly women who are going to buy my book and I had read somewhere that ninety-five per cent of a woman's decision to buy a book or a product is based on what the packaging looks like. So I knew I was going to have to tell my whole story in one picture and also gets people's attention." she said.
Flabyrinth is in bookshops from today and the documentary Nine Stone Lighter is available to watch on the RTÉ Player here.
