Ryvita is standing beside brand ambassador Fern Britton, who has admitted having surgery to help her lose weight, maintaining that her pound-shedding achievements are the result of "healthy eating and exercise".
TV presenter Britton, who is currently fronting the Ryvita Bikini Fit Challenge, admitted at the weekend that she had a gastric band operation about two years ago.
Britton reportedly dropped from a size 22 to a size 16 after the operation, which constricts the stomach and the amount of food that can be eaten.
"The facts as we see it are simple, Fern has lost weight through a regime of healthy eating and exercise," said Nigel Nelms, the marketing director at Ryvita.
"The gastric band which she has talked about may or may not have helped her in the early days but we respect her rights to privacy on this personal matter."
Ryvita pointed to Britton's exploits such as charity cycle rides across India and along the Nile as examples of what she has achieved while trying to get in shape.
"It doesn't in any way diminish the steps she's taken to lead such a healthy lifestyle with a fitness programme many of us can only aspire to," said Nelms.
"We will continue to work with Fern and we wish her every success in maintaining her healthy eating and exercise regime."
Britton, a co-presenter of This Morning on ITV1, has appeared in ad campaigns for Ryvita for the last four years for brands including Minis and Crispbread.
"Fern was chosen as the perfect ambassador for the Ryvita brand as she is quite simply someone people like and relate to, a busy, working mum with a wonderful sense of humour who does not take herself too seriously," said Nelms.
Britton's weight loss has been the subject of numerous articles and she has also produced a fitness video, Lynne Robinson's Everyday Pilates with Fern Britton.
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