Fern Britton, 68, flaunts her weight loss transformation in an elegant black gown at The Broadcast Awards after dropping five stone following years of dieting struggles

Fern Britton proudly displayed her svelte figure on Wednesday night at The Broadcast Awards in London, after shedding an impressive five stone. 

The presenter, 68, looked the picture of elegance in a sparkling boat neck gown that clung to every inch of her slimmed-down frame.

Flashing a radiant smile as she hopped into her taxi to whisk her home, Fern accessorised with a diamond-studded clutch and dainty pearl earrings.

The TV star has long been open about her weight struggles, having fluctuated between a size 22 and a size 12 over the years.

But since finishing her decades long stint on This Morning and enjoying a slower-paced life in Cornwall, she underwent a health overhaul and dropped five stone.

Fern has shared insights into her fitness journey and insisted she has lost weight 'naturally', without the aid of surgery or weight loss jabs.

Last year, she told Woman&Home: 'People often wonder when you've lost lots of weight whether you've done it naturally. And I can look at you and say, "Yes, I have".'

She explained that having surgery on her shoulder a couple of years ago trigged a moment of reflection and she decided to get back on track with her health.

She recalled: 'I thought, "I need to get my life back on track. I need to stop smoking, stop drinking, get eating under control and stop lying in bed feeling sorry for myself."' 

While Fern has also revealed how a near-death experience motivated to increase her strength, after she contracted life-threatening sepsis in 2016 following a hysterectomy.

She previously told Hello: ‘My legs and arms are much stronger; my tummy is much stronger after four children and everything else my body’s been through.

‘I was really close to dying, and yet you can still get up and go out and run and be strong again.’

Fern embarked on the Couch to 5K programme, an NHS app that helps people get into running, and kept her fans updated on her running progress.

Back in September, she took to her Instagram to reveal to followers that she'd managed to run 6.5K, explaining: ‘I just did 40 minutes of actual running, with a five-minute warm-up walk, and then a five-minute cool-down walk at the end. 

'So, 50 minutes all together but 40 minutes running. I covered 6.5K, I can’t believe it – it’s a bit good!’

Fern is also no stranger to strength building, having shared a number of selfies at her home set-up.

In April, she snapped a selfie after lifting a number of different weights, from dumbbells to a bar with weights placed on either end, impressing fans with her toned frame.

While she's also pursued a passion for cycling, recently heading to Italy with a group of pals for a cycling holiday in October.

Alongside running, cycling, walking and lifting weights, she has also overhauled her diet by cutting out 80 percent of her sugar intake.

Fern told Woman&Home: ‘I started to think about what I was eating, which I had never done before.'

She explained that 'eating three sensible meals a day' is crucial if you're spending time cycling in Italy as you're going to need decent fuel.