Angela Upton is quickly getting used to being talked about wherever she goes.

The former Echo slimmer of the month is now the star of a new WeightWatchers commercial, in which husband and relatives talk about the difference her 3st weight loss has made to her life.

Mrs Upton, 39, of Canewdon View Road, Ashingdon, is never actually shown in the advert, but it has set tongues wagging across the county.

She said: "At the moment it's getting crazy. It's definitely got people talking. I can hear people discussing it when I go to the shops or to school.

"Friends call us about it. We had one phone call from a friend we hadn't heard from in 15 years."

Before she started her diet in January 2005, Mrs Upton weighed 13st 1lb and was a size 18 to 22.

Today she is a healthy 10st and a size 10 to 12 after joining a WeightWatchers group.

Her group leader, Jackie Hilbery, put her forward for the TV campaign and she made it into the final 20, who were all filmed to see who would be the best for the job.

Mrs Upton said: "It was really nice. They filmed us just before Christmas, when they came to our house.

"It's very strange to now see it on the telly.

Every now and then I will be in the house when I can hear my husband Mike's voice on the telly."

Angela said she was happy to participate in the WeightWatchers campaign because it had made such a difference to her life.

She said: "I'm really passionate about it. People shouldn't judge you on your looks, but they do. It's a fact of life.

"Losing the weight has given me more confidence, it's made me more outgoing and made me healthier."

She is also grateful for the support her husband, Mike, has given her.

Mrs Upton said: "He supported me the whole time. He never complained about my weight before I started, but he could see I wasn't happy.

"When I lost the weight, he bought me a whole new wardrobe."

Angela will also soon be starring in a follow-up campaign for WeightWatchers to finally reveal the face - and figure - of the woman in the ad everyone has been talking about.