Ricki Lake Makeover: Fab Or Fail?

Actress and documentary film maker Ricki Lake has long struggled with her weight. She started her career in the John Waters‘ flick Hairspray, at the time calling herself “big, blonde and beautiful,” but later admitted to crash dieting during this time. In 1993, the star landed her own talk show, which erupted into an unexpectedly huge hit. But behind the success, Ricki was struggling to get her weight under control.  In 1994 she lost more than 100 pounds, but her method was unhealthy. “I was starving myself. I was fainting,” she later said.

At her heaviest, the star weighed in at 260 pounds and was a size 24. But in 2006-2007, Ricki began eating meals delivered from “Fresh Dining” and she “went from a 12-14 to a size 6.” These days, she’s as sexy as ever and loving her look. “For the longest time, when I was very heavy, I couldn’t cross my legs,” she told US Weekly in 2007. “I couldn’t physically do it. LOVE that I can cross my legs now.”