Celebrity panellist Claire Sweeney has been dropped by a dieting firm after admitting she lost 7lbs using a rival’s plan

Sweeney, 39, known for her role as a panellist on the Loose Women show, had been set to sign what was believed to be a lucrative deal with weight-loss company Go Lower.

However, the Edinburgh-based firm has ditched Sweeney following an appearance on the cover of the latest magazine from WeightWatchers.

In its October cover story, titled ‘How I stay at a healthy and happy 10st’, Sweeney claims her shedding of pounds during the filming of the forthcoming BBC1 series Candy Cabs was thanks to the points system used by WeightWatchers.  This caused infuriated Go Lower executives to ditch their new role model, who rose to prominence in the Channel 4 series Brookside, particularly after Sweeney had previously informed a different magazine – Closer – that her weight loss was due to the Go Lower program.

In the feature article inside the WeightWatchers magazine, Sweeney said she was so happy with her trim new figure that she had even encouraged her mum to sign up. The glamorous TV star said that by sticking to the 18 points values every day she was delighted with the resulted for her 5ft 8in figure, adding that her mother’s recent complaints about her own weight issues had led to her signing up Sweeney senior to the WeightWatchers system last week. She also suggested that she was looking for a toy boy for whom to have kids with.

Being part of a group has been called more effective than the NHS when it comes to losing weight.

That is the verdict of one leading UK nutritionist should argues that GPs would be better of referring obese patients to group-focused weight-loss schemes instead of the national health provider.

The Medical Research Council’s Dr Susan Jebb found in a new study that sufferers who joined the popular WeightWatchers programme lost on average twice as much weight compared to those with individual GP care. Although the study was partially funded by WeightWatchers, Dr Jebb stressed that all similar group programs were likely to be just as effective. The National Obesity Forum has also said that NHS patients could benefit from group help, while the NHS is trialling pilot schemes with WeightWatchers, the recognised leading weight loss company.

Jebb and her colleagues spent over a year studying test patients referred to WeightWatchers meetings by GPs in Northampton, while also running similar projects in both Germany and Australia. The GPs referred half of their patients to the group program, leaving the remainder as a comparative group where they were generally provided with information and appointments with healthcare professionals. At the end of the 12 months, the WeightWatchers patients came out best, losing on average close to 7kg (15lbs), whereas the GP-led group lost on average3kg (6lbs).

While 3kg may not seem like a significant amount, ask anyone who has ever tried to lose weight and they will tell you that the slightest change can make all the difference, especially to diabetics or those with weight-associated illnesses. Ultimately, it appears the weekly meetings and group accountability is the better motivator.