Comedian and actress Miranda Hart has revealed her sense of “shame” following her weight gain over the past three years. Her honest revelation led to an outpouring of supportive messages from her fans.

Miranda, 51, also revealed a battle with an undisclosed illness and openly discussed her struggle with self-esteem related to her appearance. However, she asserted that she does not strive for an aesthetic ideal, reports the Express.

Mirands revealed all during the promotion of her new book, I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You. In a video, she acknowledged her efforts to replace negative perceptions about her body.

She said: “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.”

She also posted a video where she donned a white T-shirt with the word “Proud” prominently displayed, paying homage to the BBC star’s positive outlook.

Miranda was keen to stress the importance of speaking out. She said: “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, not that because I don’t think bigger is beautiful, but because it isn’t quite me and I feel really uncomfortable and it’s one of the things I talk about in there.”

The former Call the Midwife star’s loyal following of 1.1 million on social media quickly filled the comments section with messages of support. One said: “Weight gain is horrendously misunderstood, and people can be terribly judgemental. Learning to accept yourself is a really good place to start. Looking forward to reading the book.”

A second said: “I’m in my 40s, and the last three years have been a nightmare for weight gain, no matter what I do. Thank you for being real on here.”

A third said: “You have achieved all of these amazing things in life because of who you are, not because of what clothes size you are. You have a whole lot of love around you.”

Miranda first shot to fame through her eponymous BBC sitcom which launched in 2009. She later went onto appear in Call the Midwife but departed to return to comedy. Her exam came amid speculation of health issues she was facing as well.