Fern Britton Faces Ryvita Axe

Fern Britton could be axed as the face of Ryvita after she confessed to having surgery to help her lose weight.

The cuddly TV host, 50, is paid £200,000 to star in ads for the health food crackers.

She amazed fans after she rapidly slimmed down from size 22 to size 16 -- claiming it was down to exercise and healthy eating. But she was forced to admit she had a gastric band fitted to control her food intake.

An advertising industry insider now says Britton faces losing her lucrative contract.

"Ryvita won't be happy -- they can't have their band tainted by a lie," said the insider.

And one diet expert said, "The gastric band is effective but drastic, a last resort. Fern should have told us -- it's nothing to be ashamed of, but it's wrong to mislead people."