Losing weight when you are 23 years old is not too difficult. Keeping it off on the other hand, can be very difficult. But only because most people choose short term diets over long term changes. If Adele takes a more sensible, sustainable approach, she will find that her likelihood of success will be much greater.

Our society has built up an image of beauty that even starving popstars can't achieve. And when they try to, we castigate them for it. And the negative impact that this has on children and others is perpetuating the message that weight loss is about starvation and deprivation.

I think Nigella deserves credit for her attitude to weight and weight loss. She has resolutely resisted the urge to get caught up in unnatural or drastic weight loss attempts. And through a rather unusual set of circumstances she has demonstrated how one can lose weight without resorting to fad diets.