Kirstie Alley is working on a secret plan she hopes will save her life, restart her career and help her win the battle of the bulge - all in one hit.

‘Kirstie's working with reality-show production company Fremantle Media - the giant behind Australian Idol - and has devised a show where celebrities and ordinary people will team up in an effort to lose weight,' a TV insider tells New Idea.

‘Half of the competitors will be famous faces - and Kirstie will be one of the contestants following an ultra-strict diet plan and exercising away that unwanted extra weight.'

The 58-year-old star has been stuck on a rollercoaster of binge eating and crash diets for decades. But three years ago she seemed to have finally found the recipe for good health in weight loss programme Jenny Craig, and triumphantly unveiled a slimmed-down bikini body on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Sadly, the Fat Actress star has since put on almost 40kg and is turning to TV in a desperate attempt to rescue her health. If her new show is a success it could prove to be an unlikely career comeback for Kirstie, and could save her from the terrible toll her obesity is taking.

Weight-loss expert Dr Aaron Tabor says her weight is causing other problems. ‘Kirstie's suffering from a deadly disease. Obesity is considered to be a disease because it directly contributes to more than 30 causes of death including heart disease, stroke and cancer.'

Kirstie's friends say she's depressed and embarrassed.

‘Kirstie was so happy when she was on the Jenny Craig programme,' says a friend who's known Kirstie since she was a regular on Cheers. ‘Every kilo she lost put a bigger smile on her face and she seemed to have so much more energy and optimism.

‘Now she never wants to go out because she feels like people are watching and mocking her. She feels like everyone knows all about her weight issues and they're judging her now she's heavier,' the friend adds. ‘But her loved ones are desperate for something to change. When she went back on Oprah's show in May 2009 I thought she was headed in the right direction, but she's put on even more weight since then.

‘When I heard about her weight-loss show I was over the moon. This is exactly the kind of thing that could inspire her to lose the weight once and for all.'

Not one to do things by halves, Kirstie's also working on her own weight-loss brand, telling Oprah, ‘We're in the middle of a recession, and I decide, yes, I'm going to create my own business, I'm going to lose 80 pounds [36kg], I'm going to be in a bikini again!'

By Henry Meller

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