'I've dropped five dress sizes'

By Phillip Koch

Pictures: Grant Matthews

Australia's favourite funny girl has found a new lease on life. These days Magda Szubanski gets a shock when she looks in the mirror and sees an incredible shrinking TV star.

A couple of weeks ago Magda Szubanski dug out an old pair of jeans Lange Avondjurken she'd bought on a whim years ago but had never worn because they were made for a woman almost half her size.

They were size 16 cords and incredibly, they fitted like a glove.

"I bought these cords years ago and then I had them in the drawer and thought, 'I will never get into them'," Magda admits.

"But it was like someone had cast a magic spell on me and I got into them. They were a little snug but not cutting off my circulation and the sense of satisfaction and achievement was just so great."

It may seem like a small victory but to Magda, 48, it was like winning a war she has been waging for much of her adult life. And, slowly but surely, she is winning the battle against the bulge. The much loved Kath Kim star has dropped from 121kgs 18 months ago to 91kgs today.

"This is the biggest thing that I have ever done," the funnywoman says.

"I have Grote Maten Trouwjurken slain the really big demon. This, and giving up smoking is the other one. I have the same sense of certainty I had with giving up smoking. I know that everyone will be watching me once I have lost it to see if I am going to put it back on. But I feel rock solid about it, I have to say."

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