'It was my mom's dying wish': Man, 23, loses almost half 459lbs body weight in just a YEAR

By FIONA ROBERTS

Half the size: Alex Respess reveals his astonishing weight loss next to a cardboard cut-out showing him at his heaviest, when he weighed 459lbs


When Alex Respess's mother died after a battle with cancer, she made one last request - for her son to be happy and healthy.

And now, four years later, the 23-year-old can proudly say he fulfilled his mother's dying wish after he lost almost half his body weight in just 12 months.

He showed off his astonishing transformation on ABC's Good Morning America today, where he revealed his new 243lbs figure next to a cardboard cut-out showing him at his heaviest, 459lbs.



Before and after: Alex Respess, left, at his first weigh-in a year ago, and right, today on Good Morning America after he lost an astonishing 216lbs


The audience gasped as he held up one of his old shirts, and showed how he could now fit his whole body into one leg of a pair of shorts he wore before he shed the pounds.

Mr Respess, of Duluth, Georgia, said: 'The one thing I think [my mom] would say is she's proud of the man I've become.

'Because I'm not that kid that was overweight that she remembers - now I'm grown up.'
He added: 'Now in her memory I am happy and healthy and helping my brothers get that way too.'


Inspiration: Alex Respess pictured with his mother, Kim, who died four years ago. She told him she wanted him to be happy and healthy


Last year he was literally double the size. After a lifetime of unhealthy eating, Mr Respess, an ardent baseball fan, was too big to play, and was too mortified to go out to eat after once breaking a chair at a restaurant.

He said:' I was very introverted, I just didn't get out there, now I have the confidence to talk to anyone, to do anything.'

So, in desperation, Mr Respess wrote to personal trainer Chris Powell, who agreed to help him on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

At the beginning Mr Respess was so big he had to be weighed on a freight-scale, and could only enter his bathroom door sideways.


Morbidly obese: At the beginning of the programme, Alex Respess was 459lbs, and had to be weighed using a pair of freight scales


First he travelled to Los Angeles, where he began his training - and learned how to make a healthier turkey version of his favourite bacon cheeseburger.

For the next 90 days Mr Powell lived with Mr Respess at his Duluth home, staying with him for 24 hours a day to help him meet his initial target, of losing 100lbs in just three months.

At his first weigh-in, he missed his goal - and the prize of a season ticket to his favourite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves - by just three pounds.


Astonishing transformation: Alex Respess demonstrates how he can fit inside one leg of his old shorts, left, and disappears behind an old shirt, right


Strict regime: Alex Respess meets Chris Powell, who spent the last year training him. Mr Powell even moved into his Georgia house for three months


But after Mr Powell moved out Mr Respess began to struggle, and worked out less and less. He said it gave him too much time to think about his mother's death, and he was angry about his father's impending marriage to his new fiancée.

The turning point came three days after the wedding, when Mr Powell took Mr Respess to an Army base in Georgia for a 24-hour boot camp.

He said the encouragement from the other soldiers as he trained alongside them spurred him on, and he went away with a coin to symbolise his goal: 'Get to it and fulfill your mission!'


Desperate measures: Alex Respess even let the Army shave his hair off so he could attend a 24-hour boot camp. He described it as a turning point


By January, he had lost a whopping 195lbs, and was able to undergo skin removal surgery to complete the transformation.

The end of the programme shows Mr Respess attending a ceremony with all his family and friends at a baseball field where he used to play little league - the last time he thought he made his mother proud.

He officially renamed a corner of the field Kim's Corner in her honour, and as he celebrated his 216lbs weight loss said: 'That number means a new life.'







sourc: dailymail

A face in the life of Kate Moss: The coarsening effect of drink, drugs and non-stop partying

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Serene, poised and with the hint of a shy smile — Kate Moss was barely recognisable when the Mail published pictures of her yesterday as a sweet 17-year-old posing for a bridal magazine.

Twenty years on, and the wear and tear of her notorious lifestyle has taken its toll.

Here, we look back at Kate’s 20-year career and chart the decline of a once-great beauty.











2011: Looking 37 going on 47, Kate is now busy preparing for her July wedding to Jamie Hince.


How she is dressed on the big day will be a surprise, but one thing is certain: she’ll be almost unrecognisable from the fresh-faced 17-year-old that she was 20 years ago when she posed in that early shoot for Brides magazine.


source: dailymail

Cindy Crawford treats her mirror image daughter Kaia to a night out in Hollywood

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Lookalikes: Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Jordan, left, was the mirror image of her supermodel mother, right, as they stepped out for dinner at Katsuya restaurant, last night


Cindy Crawford's daughter is looking more and more like her genetically blessed mother everyday.

Kaia Jordan, 10, was the mirror image of the 45-year-old supermodel, as they stepped out for dinner to the star-studded Katsuya restaurant in Hollywood, last night.

The mother and daughter duo were there for a family dinner and were joined by one of Kaia's friends.


Stunning: Cindy first became famous in the 80s alongside Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Helena Christensen


Dressed in jeans and a white singlet top, Kaia certainly bears a striking resemblance to Cindy, with the same signature brunette hair, facial features and tanned skin.

Her mother also slipped on a similar outfit of skinny jeans, a white top and a leather cropped jacket.

Both girls also wore near-identical flats.

Cindy is one of the most photographed women in the world, and first became famous in the 80s alongside Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Helena Christensen.


Model behaviour: Also bonding with her daughter was fellow super Christy Turlington, who took Grace for a frozen yoghurt in New York


In her mid-forties, the mother-of-two looks nowhere near her age and still models in various fashion and beauty campaigns, and was recently on the cover of Vogue Mexico in May.

But Cindy has admitted to using a little help from a plastic surgeon in the past to help maintain her looks.

In a magazine interview in 2006, she admitted that she first saw a plastic surgeon at the age of 29.

She said: 'I'm not going to lie to myself: Past a certain age, creams work on the texture of your skin but, in order to restore elasticity, all I can really count on is vitamin injections, Botox and collagen,' she told Gala magazine.



Genetically blessed: Cindy is seen here this month with her gorgeous family, husband Rande Gerber, left, son Presley, far left, and daughter Kaia, right


Cindy had once claimed that a 'miracle mixture' of ground coffee and olive oil kept her skin in its enviable condition.

Yet with refreshing honesty, she came clean and admitted to a little help.

'I have a very simple, healthy life, which works miracles,' she says. 'I drink a lot of water, watch what I eat and exercise. But I owe the quality of my skin to my cosmetic surgeon.'

Then last year she told Piers Morgan in the Mail on Sunday: 'There's a doctor here in London who I've gone to for Botox.'

In 2005, Crawford created a line of beauty products with Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh called Meaningful Beauty for Guthy-Renker

Married to club owner Rande since 1998, the couple also have a son, Presely, 11.
Cindy was also famously married to actor Richard Gere for four years.

source: dailymail

Fighting fit: Michael Douglas healthier and stronger as he walks daughter Carys to school

Healthy: Michael Douglas looked happy and fit as he walked daughter Carys to school this week


He was given the all-clear from his throat cancer battle in January.

And slowly and surely, over the last few months, Michael Douglas has been gaining weight, getting some colour back in his cheeks and looking himself again.

All of which was apparent when he walked daughter Carys to school on Wednesday morning.

They looked happy and relaxed in each other's company as they strolled in the warm sun through Manhattan.

Michael, 66, was dressed casually in baggy grey trousers and a light blue shirt and kept his face out of the sun under a baseball cap.

He looked proudly at his eight-year-old daughter as she skipped along and chatted to him.




All-clear: Michael has put on weight and is recovering well after his bout with cancer


The Wall Street star often walks his daughter to school from their New York apartment.

And he looked as though the trials, tribulations and heartache of the last year are finally starting to ease for the Oscar-winning star.

In April last year, his son Cameron was sentenced to five years in prison for possessing heroin and dealing large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine out of a New York hotel room.


Like mother like daughter: Carys, already the spitting image of Catherine, sings and dances her way along the street


Then last August, Michael was diagnosed with throat cancer which was at an advanced stage but after undergoing gruelling radiation and chemotherapy treatment, he has been given the all-clear.

But last month, his actress wife Catherine Zeta-Jones checked herself into Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut to seek treatment for bipolar II disorder.


Caring: Michael carries Carys's bag and takes her hand as he leads her across the road


Earlier this month, Michael was a guest on US chat show The View and spoke about his wife's treatment.

He said: 'It's like her 30,000 mile oil and lube check up. She had some issues, I joke about it but in the last year-and-a-half my oldest son got incarcerated, sent to federal prison, my ex-wife sued me, I got cancer.

'It's hard for your wife to say "I'm depressed", you know.'


In the clear: Michael and Catherine pose on the red carpet at the Golden Globes in Hollywood in January, shortly after Michael had been given the news that he had beaten throat cancer

source: dailymail

Superslim Princess Beatrice keeps shedding pounds thanks to 'water and fruit diet'

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Slim Bea: Princess Beatrice cuts a svelte figure compared with pictures of her in a larger frock of similar hue she wore two years ago, right


Does Princess Beatrice's yo-yo figure know no bounds?

The 22-year-old, who has struggled with her weight in the past, turned more than a few heads this weekend with her incredibly svelte figure, which appears to have shrunk further than ever.

Beatrice, who shed 2st before last year’s London Marathon, showed off her even slimmer frame as she attended a polo event at Cowdray Park in West Sussex wearing a short blue belted cocktail dress.

It was a dramatic contrast with a larger frock of similar hue she wore two years ago.


Young love: Beatrice was at the event with boyfriend Dave Clark

She now looks at least two sizes smaller, and credits a fitness regime based on exercise, lots of water and plenty of fruit and vegetables, with keeping the weight off.

Speaking about the pictures, she said at the time: 'I could probably do with losing the odd pound though, so perhaps it's the kick I need.

'It was such an unflattering bikini and I've got one that's so much nicer, so I could have kicked myself for wearing it.

'I thought people were a bit mean, although I know it comes with the territory.
'The trouble is, I don't have much confidence so it can be quite upsetting.'


Inspired: It was the unflattering pictures of the princess on a beach in St Barts that spurred her on to lose two stone and run the London Marathon as part of a charity team tied together


There has been no let up this year for the princess, who took part in the Windsor half marathon in September.

She managed to complete the run in a very respectable two hours and 16 minutes.

Then, in April she completed the London Marathon with her American boyfriend David Clark as part of a charity team tied together.

They formed a human caterpillar of 34 people who ran the 26.2mile course together along with Sir Richard Branson's two children Sam and Holly.


source: dailymail

22-stone bride-to-be orders size 12 wedding dress... and then SLIMS to squeeze into it

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Beautiful bride: Beth Wheeler lost 10 stone ahead of her wedding so that she could fit into her dream dress


Almost all brides try to slim down a little ahead of their big day. However Beth Wheeler was more dedicated to her diet plan than most.

The 36-year-old weighed 22 stone when she got engaged.

But she ordered a size 12 wedding dress and put herself on a strict diet so she could shed 10 stone and fit into her dream gown a little more than a year later.

She embarked on a healthy eating and living campaign and shed more than half her body weight to reach her target of 12 stone just four days before her wedding at Halswell House near Bridgwater, Somerset.


In his wedding speech, James joked: 'When you get married you often get more than you expected, well I'm getting less'


'Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight will know that you can do it on your own for a few weeks but then easily become fed up so having something to aim for kept me focused.'

Beth weighed 22st 1lb when she joined her Weight Watchers group in April 2009.

The weight began to fall off steadily and she ordered her stunning wedding gown in October 2010, telling the seamstress that she aimed to be a size 12 on her wedding day.

Beth even managed to resist the temptations of festive food over the Christmas period and went on to shed the pounds through to her wedding day.

She was delighted when she stepped on the scales on February 20 this year - and found she had finally reached her goal of 12st.


source: dailymail

Rare conjoined twins who share a single body born in China

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Rare condition: The two-head conjoined twin girls were born in a hospital in Suining city in southwest China's Sichuan province last week


A woman has given birth to a baby girl with two heads in the Chinese province of Sichuan.

The conjoined twins, who share a single body, two arms and two legs, were born by Caesarean section last week, according to officials.

The sisters are believed to suffer from a condition known as dicephalic parapagus - an extremely unusual form of twin conjoinment where only a single body develops.


Intensive care: The twins will require around-the-clock attention


Because they share the same body, it is not possible to separate dicephalic parapagus conjoined twins.

The birth of dicephalic parapagus conjoined twins - who develop after a fertilized egg cell fails to divide fully - is extremely rare, with most cases occurring in southwest Asia and Africa.


Sister act: Conjoined twins are extremely rare, occurring once in 100,000 births, while the dicephalic parapagus form of the condition is almost unheard of


However, there have been instances of dicephalic parapagus twins being born in the West.

In July 2009, Lisa Chamberlain, from Portsmouth, gave birth to twins Joshua and Jayden, who shared the same single body. Joshua was stillborn while his brother lived for 32 minutes before dying in his mother's arms.

And in the U.S. dicephalic parapagus twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel have become media celebrities, appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show and featuring in television documentaries.

The sisters, now 21, from Minnesota, appear to share a perfectly normal single body, although in fact several of their internal organs are doubled up.

While each is able to eat and write separately and simultaneously, activities such as walking and driving a car must be co-ordinated.


Two-headed baby: Amazing conjoined twins born in China


Conjoined Twins, Abby & Brittany Hensel turn 16


source: dailymail

What a conundrum! Carol Vorderman can't figure out

By SARAH BULL

It's a puzzle! Carol Vorderman struggles to get into her car in a tight white dress after appearing on This Morning today


She's a huge fan of tight pencil dresses, saying they push her up and pull her in just where she needs it.

But sometimes it seems they perhaps pull Carol Vorderman in a bit too much - judging by pictures of the presenter struggling to get into her car in a white zip dress today.

The 50-year-old star tried various ways of getting into the vehicle in an elegant and ladylike fashion, but ended up having to lift up her knee and swivel her way in as the dress proved too restrictive.


This way or that way? But Vorderman kept a big smile on her face throughout her predicament


However, Vorderman managed to stay smiling throughout her predicament, grinning widely for the waiting photographers before finally successfully navigating her way into the vehicle.

Earlier in the day, Vorderman tweeted fans to warn them to expect a special outfit when she appeared on This Morning to do the newspaper review with comedian Iain Lee.

She wrote: 'Warning. This Morning about 10.30 I shall be reviewing the newspapers and will be in danger of dressing my age!! '


Got the answer: Vorderman eventually decided to lift up her knee and swivel her way into the vehicle


Vorderman has become something of a sex symbol in recent years and is undoubtedly in incredible shape for a 50-year-old woman.

And she said recently she is happy with her figure and has learned to accept her womanly curves.


Stunning: The white dress flattered Vorderman's hourglass figure

She explained: 'When you’re in your 20s and 30s you often think “I don’t like this bit, I don’t like that bit, I wish I could shave a few inches off here”.

‘But when you’re older you’re just blooming grateful for what you’ve got! For instance, I’ve learned that women spend lots of time worrying about cellulite but men just don’t see it, particularly as they get older themselves and their eyesight goes too!

'At this age you don’t beat yourself up any more - what’s the point? I’m comfortable in my skin, I’m really happy and that’s all that counts.'


source: dailymail

conundrum : a problem that is difficult to deal with

Two little friends... united by courage

By PAUL SIMS

Here's how to do it: Ellie (right) shows off her new prosthetic leg to Charlotte, who hopes to get her first pair in a few months


Smiling together, the two pretty blonde girls could easily be mistaken as sisters, not new friends with a unique bond.

The lives of Ellie Challis and Charlotte Nott have taken almost identical paths. Both started life as healthy babies — until they contracted meningitis and had to have all of their limbs amputated.

The incredible survival story of Ellie, now seven, gripped the nation after she fell ill in 2005 at just 16 months old. And in December, three-year-old Charlotte narrowly survived the illness, but at the cost of her arms and legs.


Hello, pet: Seven-year-old Ellie, who contracted meningitis in 2005, makes friends with the lambs during a day at a farm


‘Charlotte put her stumps up against Ellie’s to say hello,’ said her mother Jenny Daniels, 29, yesterday. ‘She was so happy to see someone else with stumps just like hers.

‘Ellie was great — she showed Charlotte that she could get around easily with or without prosthetic legs and Charlotte hobbled after her. It was very special.’

The girls spent the day giggling with one another as they cuddled rabbits and fed lambs at Mead Open Farm in Bedfordshire.

‘I love Ellie’s legs and I can’t wait until I get some, too, so we can run around together,’ said Charlotte, from Oxford.


You have a go: Little Ellie is all smiles as she shows a curious Charlotte how to operate the wheelchair


Ellie’s parents Lisa, 37, and Paul, 47, have helped her learn to walk on prosthetics, start school and ride a bike. ‘I know exactly what Jenny is going through,’ said Mrs Challis.

‘I remember thinking that Ellie would never have a normal life. But it’s great that we’ve been able to show Charlotte and her family that there’s very little Ellie can’t do.’

Charlotte’s parents - Jenny, an administrator for a book publisher, and air conditioning repairman Alex Nott, also 29 - are just starting to come to terms with what has happened to their daughter.


I'll race you: Charlotte (left) and Ellie giggle together as they get behind the wheels of toy cars


‘When Charlotte caught meningitis, my world fell apart. I was terrified about what the future held for her,’ said Miss Daniels.

‘So to see Ellie running around was so special to me - it has given me hope for Charlotte’s future.’

Ellie became the youngest person ever fitted with £10,000 carbon ‘flex-foot’ legs two years ago.

Ellie also let Charlotte have a go on her wheelchair - it is too tiring for her to use her prosthetic legs all the time. She controls it with the stumps of her arms.

Charlotte will have to wait until she is five before the NHS can provide her with a wheelchair.

She hopes to get her first pair of prosthetic limbs in the next few months once her wounds heal.

‘I still say thank you every day that Charlotte is still here with us,’ said Miss Daniels.

‘Watching her playing with Ellie was a miracle.’

source: dailymail

'Catherine was outed during bipolar struggle,' Michael Douglas tells Oprah

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Anger: Michael Douglas told Oprah that Catherine Zeta Jones was 'outed' during her struggle with bipolar disorder


Michael Douglas is enraged that his wife Catherine Zeta Jones was 'outed' in her struggle with bipolar disorder.

The 66-year-old actor, who is looking fantastic despite his high-profile battle with cancer, appeared to be gripped by fury as he talked about his wife of 12 years checking herself into a Connecticut institution.

Asked about 41-year-old Zeta Jones's illness by U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey, the Wall Street star declared: 'She was outed.'


'My eldest son is in federal prison, my ex-wife is suing me and I got cancer': Douglas tells Oprah his woes


His statement was shown during a preview of Winfrey's exclusive sit-down chat, which airs in the United States next week.

Zeta-Jones's spell in a mental facility first emerged in the American tabloid magazine the National Enquirer, prompting her to release a statement hours later revealing she was suffering the condition.

Douglas, who announced in January that he had defeated throat cancer, still appeared frail as he sat in front of Winfrey's live studio audience.

During the interview the actor speaks candidly about his wife's illness and his own heath problems, which saw him diagnosed with a throat tumour last year.


Release: Douglas spoke frankly about his family's recent troubles with Winfrey


He also opens up about his ex-wife Diandra's attempts to get a cut of his earnings from 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' and his son Cameron's jail sentence for drug dealing.

'My eldest son is in federal prison, my ex-wife is suing me and I got cancer,' he said.


Concern: The talk show mogul looked concerned as Douglas talked about his wife's battle with depression


Sombre: Zeta Jones has a moment of sadness on the Louisiana set of Playing the Field


'It takes a lot of courage to seek help and I am proud of Catherine for doing something positive about her situation,' he said. 'It's onwards and upwards for us.'

For her own part, Catherine, who is back at work on the set of new film Playing the Field in Louisiana, is sanguine about the news breaking, even defiant.

'There is no shame in seeking help, she told People magazine.




source: dailymail