Stephen Fry says he is pleased to be looking svelte again after shedding six stone following his personally-devised diet and fitness training programme.

The comedian said he had been going to the gym every morning after feeling he'd become a "gigantic walrus".

Fry was looking trim and happy on the red carpet in Hollywood ahead of hosting Bafta LA's Britannia Awards.

The QI presenter said he had kickstarted a healthy eating and exercise plan almost a year ago after gaining weight.

"I saw myself in a mirror and I thought 'that can't be me can it?' and it was and I thought it's got to stop."

Mr Fry believes his weight loss plan worked because for the first time he had "taken it slowly".

"In the past I'd gone on crash diets that worked and then I hated them, this time I just sort of eased my way in to a different way of eating," he explained.

Weight loss expert Rich Leigh says crash diets worked only for a very limited time.

"But as soon as you start eating normally again, your metabolism is lower and then you start putting on the weight," he said.