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Flashback Friday: the story behind the Duchess of York's incredible new look

HELLO! Fashion Monthly's editor Juliet Herd recalls working on the issue

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Sarah, Duchess of York exuded confidence as she featured on the front cover of HELLO! in March 2014. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie's mum was celebrating her incredible weight loss, by posing for an exclusive photoshoot and interview in Verbier, Switzerland. HELLO! Fashion Monthly's editor Juliet Herd recalls working with the Duchess, who admitted that it was the first time she'd really enjoyed doing a photoshoot.

"The Duchess of York was on great form during this exclusive cover photoshoot in Verbier and so happy and excited to try on all the clothes that our uber stylist Naty Abascal had brought over from Madrid," Juliet recalls. "She was celebrating losing weight – 42lb and counting – and I'd never seen her look so confident or radiant.

sarah ferguson hello© Photo: HELLO!

"I'd never seen her look so confident or radiant," recalls Juliet Herd

"In the past, she'd approached photoshoots with a feeling of dread. As she told me: 'It was the first time I've done a shoot where I wasn't in [a state of] anxiety. I was absolutely blown away and really enjoyed it.' She'd made a decision to tackle her weight problem by changing her behaviour and attitude to food and lost the pounds sensibly, over a period of time, by cutting out sugar and following a strict exercise programme, which included lots of walking in the Swiss mountains near her Verbier chalet. She even changed into her gym kit to demonstrate her Pilates poses for us!"

Sarah's strong bond with her two daughters explored

Juliet recalls: "The HELLO! team was there overnight, so we all joined the Duchess for dinner at a local restaurant and she couldn't have been more friendly or inclusive, taking care of everyone. What people may not know is she has a great sense of humour and natural comic timing, so her stories are always entertaining. She's also stuck to her goal and, three years later, continues to look fit and fabulous!"

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