With the eighth series of Operation Transformation about to begin, we meet the 19 hopefuls dreaming of changing their lives by participating in the hit RTÉ TV series. Rita de Brun also sat down with last year’s inspirational leader, Deirdre O’Donovan, who says the show taught her ways to battle depression and anxiety.

Operation Transformation leader Deirdre O’Donovan has broken her addiction to food.

The family of Tania McCabe, a Garda sergeant who died in 2007 from sepsis following childbirth, were shocked to learn of “disturbing” similarities between her death and that of Savita Halappanavar.