Operation Transformation leader Marie Grace told RTÉ LifeStyle that she absolutely loved her time on the show and would take part in the Dublin Fire Brigade challenges every week for the rest of her life.
Although Marie didn't have a massive amount of weight to lose, she admits that she just couldn't find the motivation to get started.
"I just needed the kick start, I just couldn't get the motivation myself to do it"
While the show focuses on diet and fitness, there is no doubt that the leaders deal with a lot of emotional issues during their transformations. During her time with Dr. Eddie, Marie discovered just how badly she needed to open up about the loss of her baby, Michaela.
"I suppose I just needed to talk about what had happened in my life and I just found it too difficult to talk to people at home and stuff so once I had put it out there, I found it very easy to actually speak to people about it."
Marie was floored by the reaction she received from followers watching the show.
"It was crazy the amount of messages that I got, you know private messages, from women that had lost babies and, just similar stories to myself and basically saying that they were following me"
The Limerick woman insists that she gained a lot of support and motivation from her fans. "I loved the fact that I was helping other people out with that", she said.
Luckily, Marie has also found support closer to home from both family and friends who have started a walking group in her area three nights a week.
"Every night since it's started, over a hundred people have showed up and it's kept going the whole time."
Before having daughter Lily-Mae (3), Marie says she led a healthy and active lifestyle with plenty of daily exercise. Since having her daughters though, the part-time hairdresser says she never felt like she had enough time for fitness.
"I used the whole excuse of 'I have a child now, I don't have time' which was rubbish. If you want to do it, you'll do it.
"I either do get up really early in the morning or I go at night when they're in bed and I love it because I can do it on my own, I have that half hour or whatever to myself."
The OT leader has previously described the Dublin Fire Brigade challenges as 'great craic' and showed real enthusiasm for the entire Operation Transformation programme.
"I'm really sad about it finishing, God, I really don't want it to finish. I loved the fireman challenge, I would have done that every week for the rest of my life, I loved it"
Overall, Marie says the experience has been immensely therapeutic for her and has helped her tackle some difficult issues surrounding the loss of her daughter.
"I cried for the first four weeks of this like, every single programme I was on, I was crying in it but I think it was once I started crying I couldn't stop or something"
Since the show, Marie says she is filled with confidence and is facing her issues head on, even planning to visit Michela and put up her gravestone.
"Now, I actually can accept it, I suppose", she said.
Operation Transformation has come to an end but you can watch it all back on RTÉ Player now!
