A LIMERICK mother, whose lifestyle underwent a profound change after the death of her eldest child, has been selected as one of the five leaders for the next series of RTÉ’s weight loss show Operation Transformation.
The programme will follow Clare Scanlan (39) from Monagea, an employee of Pallas Foods in Newcastle West, as she radically changes her eating patterns and exercise habits over the course of eight weeks.
Clare, a native of West Cork, is married to Tom and has two children, Liam (11) and Caoimhe (10).
Tragically, Clare’s eldest son Darra passed away four years ago from SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome) aged just 15.
She says that since his death she has kept going as best she can for her other children, but hasn’t had any energy to put into herself and is “stuck in a rut”.
Clare, who is 5ft 7in tall and weighs 16st 5lbs says she has struggled with her weight all her life “putting on a bit of weight after each pregnancy” and admits that chocolate and biscuits are her downfall.
Over the course of the show, Operation Transformation presenter Kathryn Thomas will be on hand along with four experts to encourage and motivate the leaders.
The four Operation Transformation experts are Karl Henry, fitness expert; Dr Eddie Murphy, a principle clinical psychologist with the HSE; Aoife Hearne, a registered dietitian and Healthy Ireland Council member, and Dr Ciara Kelly, GP and expert in family health.
The programme will be broadcast throughout next January and February.
