Miranda Hart flaunts figure and tattoos post-illness

showed off her slim figure in a plunging lycra ensemble in her post after detailing 'shame' around gaining weight during her Lyme disease battle.

She teamed her low-cut vest top with leggings and wore white Birkenstocks as she perched on a velvet sofa.

Miranda, 53, said: 'I know I am a larger human but I still don't understand the wedge of scatter cushions.... They only get chucked on the floor or we have to sit on the floor and admire the display!'

In 2024, Miranda revealed she had been battling Lyme disease for years, which caused significant involuntary weight fluctuations and forced her to step away from the spotlight.

She wrote: 'Can I just say I'm actually really quite proud of the fact that I've dismantled quite a lot of shame about my weight gain. 

'I have found it incredibly hard not to feel shame from gaining weight over the last three years.

'Not because of striving for an aesthetic ideal but because it doesn't represent me and who I naturally am. But life happens. Illness happens.

'And it's a great way to keep focusing on the greatest healer – self-compassion. If I lose it or not I know I am loved. Peace out.'

Miranda showed off one of her two tattoos in the latest picture, two chinese symbols, which she previously said she regrets having done. 

She also has a dove and a heart on her ankle that she 'quite likes' which represent peace and love. 

Miranda once told Ginny Dougary about falling out of love with her arm tattoo: 'It’s pretty horrible and no, I wasn’t drunk – I was stonecold sober. But I do regret it. 

'I think I [was trying to be edgy] and trying to say I’m not the public-school stereotype you think I am.'

Last year, Miranda spoke about how 'freeing it is to be loved' as she shared a rare insight into her marriage to Richard Fairs, 61.

She revealed she had married Richard in a later edition of her memoir, I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You, explaining that they met during lockdown when he came to fix the mould in her £2million house.

Referring to her husband only as 'The Boy from Bristol' or 'The Mould Man', Miranda had previously kept his identity a secret.

And speaking in a chat with Waterstones to promote her new book A  Tree That Loved To Dance, she said: 'To feel completely freeing and who I am...

'I am very loved. All of it, having an extraordinary moment of fame has been unexpected...the whole thing.'

Miranda has also said: 'The way we met was quite extraordinary. At the beginning of the book [her autobiography] I had this real longing not to be alone anymore and I admitted that to myself.

'It was quite a pain because when we long for what we want, it's at a time where we don't have it so admitting that to yourself is a painful time. I was in my forties and single.

'And then we met because part of my illness was that I was allergic to mould in my house. You couldn't write it. I lost my house, I had to leave my house.

She explained that Richard was the project manager coming to sort out the building works and remove the mould.

Miranda said: 'I was out of the house and a friend was dealing with it all because I couldn't be there and we met on the final day of the works being done. I think I could say we fell in love there and then.'

She revealed that they got engaged in January during a trip to Kew Gardens in west London after revealing they had 'fallen hopelessly in love with each other'

The comedian rose to fame with her self-titled sitcom series in 2009 and went on to star in Call The Midwife as Chummy from 2012 until 2015.

However the star, now 51, didn't return for the sixth series of the BBC drama after reports she was suffering from ill health.

The telltale symptoms of Lyme Disease that no one should ignore... 

A rash 

A rash is one of the most obvious signs of Lyme disease to look out for. 

The erythema migrans (EM) rash, often referred to as a bull's-eye rash due to its red circular rings, should be treated straight away, says the charity Lyme Disease UK. 

However, the rash doesn't always present in the same way, especially on darker skin, and a third of people do not develop a rash at all. 

It can also not take on a ring shape and instead have a solid or bruise-like appearance.

The behaviour of any rash after a tick bite is the most important thing to be aware of, warns Lyme Disease UK. 

An EM rash takes at least three days, and in some cases up to three months, to appear. 

It generally isn't itchy, painful, or hot, and gradually spreads outwards. 

However, if you have redness or itchiness immediately after a tick bite is usually a histamine reaction. 

Flu-like symptoms

Not everyone develops a rash.

Some people experience flu-like symptoms.

Often likened to a 'summer flu', Lyme Disease UK says some people can get headaches, a stiff neck, muscle pain and fatigue. 

Some small children may also have behavioural changes as they are unable to articulate how they are feeling, the charity adds. 

If Lyme disease is left untreated or if it is not treated early on, weeks, months or even years later more serious symptoms can develop. 

Pain and swelling in the joints, known as inflammatory arthritis, is one of the more serious symptoms that can follow Lyme disease, according to the government website. 

Muscle and joint pain can also be felt just weeks or days after getting tick bite, the NHS says.  

Facial paralysis 

More serious symptoms can develop if Lyme disease is left untreated. 

Drooping on one side of the face or a weakness of your facial muscles is another indication of an infection. 

That's because the bacteria that causes Lyme disease can also damage the nervous system, including the facial nerve.  

Weakness or a paralysis of the facial muscles can be seen in someone infected by Lyme disease and it usually affects on side of the face, according to the charity Facial Palsy UK. 

This symptom is especially common in children, says Lyme Disease UK. 

Some people can also experience shooting nerve pains. 

This pain can feel sharp or prickly and follow the course of the nerve, according to the government website.

Memory problems 

Being forgetful and struggling to concentrate are also later symptoms of the disease.  

The bacteria that causes Lyme disease can not only cause numbness and nerve pain, but also memory problems and difficulty concentrating, according to the government website. 

If the disease is treated early on it is less likely you will suffer with memory problems.  

Eye problems 

Blurry vision could be a sign of Lyme disease.  

The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that causes Lyme disease can also change your vision, according to the charity Guide Dogs UK.  

People can experience floaters and inflammation typically in the late stages of the disease. 

However. this vision change can be temporary and can improve or resolve with treatment of the disease.  

In the early stages the disease can cause conjunctivitis making your eyes bloodshot, irritated and swollen. 

Due to the neurological effects of the infection, it can cause twitching anywhere on the body including the eyes. 

The charity also highlights a more rare eye symptom, known as optic neuritis. This is where the optic nerve becomes inflamed, which can lead to severe eye pain and vision loss, but experts say it is unclear how Lyme disease directly causes this to happen.