The Celebrity Operation Transformation leaders kicked off their on-screen journey last weekend with an appearance on Saturday Night with Miriam.
Speaking with Miriam over the weekend, the leaders presented a united and determined front as each detailed their struggles and highlighted their goals.
The five leaders - Mary Byrne, James Patrice, Triona McCarthy, Gary O'Hanlon, Kayleigh Cullinane- said they had already enjoyed the preliminary fitness-gauging activities as a group.
Gary even said that he felt a certain protectiveness over the group's youngest member Kayleigh and that he really wanted her to do well.
Mary Byrne
Singer Mary Byrne told, host Miriam O' Callaghan, that weight had always been an issue for her growing up but worsened following the death of her mother.
"I have battled with my weight all my life and when my mother died in 1995 I kind of went down a very dark road and the weight just piled on", she explained.
However, Mary said she was more determined than ever before to shift the pounds. "I'm 51, it's now or never," she said.
"I swear to God you will see sweat, blood and tears come out of me", she joked.
Gary O'Hanlon
For chef Gary O' Hanlon, it was the busy nature of his job that caused his health to suffer.
"Most chefs don't look after themselves, you're just so focused on customers," Gary said.
"I eat really, really well, I just have an insatiable sweet tooth", he said of his Haribo cravings on his way home from work.
Triona McCarthy
Beauty expert Triona said her weight gain coincided with the birth of her children.
"I'm in my 40s now and it's a slippery slope. I'm just putting on weight all the time," she said.
Miriam pointed out that many viewers may think that she didn't need to lose weight, but Triona explained, that like many, had learnt to hide it.
"I'm really good at hiding it, I'm 90% spanx at any given time," she joked.
Kayleigh Cullinane
At 21 singer Kayleigh Cullinane is the youngest leader and much of her weight gain resulted from the recovery process following a vicious attack on her as a teen which resulted in the loss of sight in her right eye.
"The recovery of my operation was that I had to lie face down 23 hours a day," she told Miriam.
Having endured 12 eye surgeries and bullying, Kayleigh is evidently well-capable of a challenge and said she was "ecstatic" when she got the call.
James Patrice
Social media influencer James Patrice couldn't quite believe his weight at first. When producers rang and told him he weighed 19 stone he refused to believe them.
Unfortunately the scales doesn't lie, and after weighing himself he was forced to accept the truth.
"I hopped on the scales and then I collapsed off them," he joked.
Goals
For all the leaders the focus is on health and lifestyle rather than simply weight loss.
Gary hopes to run the Dublin marathon in October, while Triona is determined to dominate the dance floor at her child's 21st in almost twenty year's time.
Kayleigh wants to complete the entire cycle against suicide route and Mary plans on abseiling and starring in a pantomime.
As for James, he is ready to ditch his waist-coat splitting tricks but whether or not he will be able to part with his beloved "diddies" aka 'moobs' aka 'man-boobs' remains to be seen.
Watch the Celebrity Operation Transformation leaders on Saturday Night with Miriam here.
