RTE star Maura Derrane: 'Nobody makes nasty fat jibes about men'

Wearing a plunging black swimsuit and Jackie O sunglasses, Maura Derrane caused a stir among fans when she shared a photograph showing her relaxing on a Sardinian beach with son Cal.

The 47-year-old TV star attracted "Hot Mama" comments thanks to her newly svelte figure, following weeks of lunch-time workouts and ditching chocolate on the set of her RTE show Today.

Maura, who co-hosts the day-time programme with Daithi O Se, cites one particular day that stood out as she dropped the pounds.

She told the Sunday Independent: "Do you know the funny thing? We had a segment where we were interviewing contestants who had been kicked off Dancing With The Stars every week and I would get up and do a few steps of the dance they were doing that week, along with a professional dancer. One week I was wearing a particular dress and the bitchy comments that were posted online were unbelievable - people saying 'oh she looks so fat'.

"It's important to say it because if I was a man, no-one would ever notice what Daithi was wearing, or say bitchy things about him. But because I am a woman they feel they can."

She added: "And do you know what was terrible? It was other women. Women were the ones who made the comments."

Although Maura says she understands the importance of looking good on screen, saying: "Let's be straight about it, I am on TV, I am not working in a coalmine," she feels that people will criticise anything that falls short of wholly unrealistic expectations.

"If you want to look perfect on television, you need to be a size zero. Normal women are size 12 or more and for me I was always a size 8-10. I certainly need to drop another couple of pounds to be where I was before having Cal, but it just shows you that if you don't look perfect, people will have a go."

Though Maura says she won't let the comments get to her, she argues: "I find it unreal that people would think that if you were a size 10-12, you are overweight. God help women who are any more than a size 12 in this world these days if that's where we're at now. It's terrible."

Speaking about her diet before hitting the gym, Maura said: "I was eating far too much sugar. I was at the point where I was eating two chocolate bars a day. A bar before I went on air just to get that false energy and I was relying on crappy food to get me through the day. It was getting ridiculous. It was involuntary eating, which is the worst kind."

Now working out with personal trainer Jennifer O'Driscoll, Maura's diet consists of a big breakfast of high protein or porridge oats and fruit, a chicken salad for lunch and a light snack in the evenings.

Speaking about her motivation, Maura said: "It's health, energy, a bit of vanity, fitness, it's all of those things but I feel great."

She's embarking on a nationwide roadshow, starting May 28 in The Brehon Hotel, Killarney. "It will be called 'The Feel Good Show with Maura Derrane', it's for real women of all ages and we will have lots of special guests."