`Fat Actress' Kirstie Alley loses 50 pounds

NEW YORK (AP) _ Kirstie Alley is dropping the ``fat'' from ``actress.'' <br/><br/>Alley, who starred on Showtime's reality-comedy series ``Fat Actress,'' has lost 50 pounds.

Tuesday, September 20th 2005, 12:24 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Kirstie Alley is dropping the ``fat'' from ``actress.''

Alley, who starred on Showtime's reality-comedy series ``Fat Actress,'' has lost 50 pounds. She says she's managed the loss through dieting and exercise.

``I am the Jenny Craig evangelist!'' Alley, a spokeswoman for the company, declares in the Sept. 26 issue of People magazine, now on newsstands.

By limiting calories with the diet program, the 54-year-old actress _ who had ballooned up to about 200 pounds _ has slimmed down noticeably and is 30 pounds away from her original goal.

``When I got fat, I was being stupid. It was a little bit like when I used to do drugs,'' says Alley, who has long been sober. ``Before I stopped doing drugs, I had to spiritually get a grip and go, `What do you want your life to be like?'''

She says the full revelation didn't come until seeing early episodes of ``Fat Actress.''

``I didn't realize I was that fat,'' the 5-foot-8 actress says. ``Seriously.''

Alley now plans to begin dating again. A mother of two, she divorced Parker Stevenson in 1997.

The former ``Cheers'' actress is interested in another sitcom but doesn't expect Showtime to bring back ``Fat Actress'' for a second season.

``I think (they) have great concerns about me not being fat,'' she said.