Kirstie Alley's weight loss triumph: "I lost six dress sizes!"

She’s almost 30kg lighter and dancing her way to good health. Kirstie Alley reveals why this time she’s going to make her weight-loss stick.

“I’ve lost 60 pounds [27kg] and I have 30 or 40 [13-18kg] more to go,” she reveals. “And with this strenuous, rigorous dance schedule, I think it’s going to work. It’s exciting.” And so far it does seem to be working. Kirstie recently tweeted, “Here’s a tip for any weight-loss plan: Dance for four or five hours a day. Sorta starts melting off!”

The 60-year-old – who’s become as famous in recent years for her body battle as she was for her award-winning role on 80s sitcom Cheers – has long struggled with her weight, tipping the scales at over 104 kilos in 2010.

But now, thanks to a renewed focus on her health, Kirstie’s back on track and determined to go from her current size 16 to a svelte size 12 – and her goal weight of 63kg – by the time the demanding dance contest finishes filming. After her first two hours of rehearsing for Dancing With The Stars, Kirstie was on the verge of passing out. “I turned white!” she told US TV show Entertainment Tonight.

“She was on the floor, in a full sweat, barely breathing,” says her dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, adding that he’s impressed with how far Kirstie’s come since first putting foot inside the rehearsal rooms. Just two years ago, doctors were so worried about the Fat Actress star’s constant crash dieting and subsequent binge-eating, they reportedly gave her just four years to live.