‘Emotional eating’ mother selected as Operation Transformation leader

A Cork mother of two who wants to stop emotional eating is the first of 20 hopefuls to be selected as an Operation Transformation leader.

Deirdre O’Donovan, 29, who weighs 17st 11 lbs, was one of more than 500 people unhappy with their weight who applied to appear in the show’s seventh series, due to be screened in January. The show’s host, Kathryn Thomas, called to Deirdre’s home in Carrignavar, Co Cork, yesterday, to tell her she had been picked as one of the five Operation Transformation leaders.

Deirdre, who works part-time in the Mercy Hospital, Cork, as a night-time care assistant, was in her training gear at the time as she was just about to go for a walk.