Stephen Fry slimmed down by 80 pounds

LONDON, June 20 (UPI) -- British actor and comedian Stephen Fry says he has lost more than 80 pounds in the past six months, trading his "appallingly corpulent" body for a leaner one.

The 6-foot, 5-inch Fry now weighs about 215 pounds. He told the Daily Mail he used a combination of strict diet and exercise -- saying he had walked more than 5 miles to an interview with a reporter and he planned to walk home.

"And when I get indoors, I'll be wishing I still had another 5 miles to go," he said. "It's actually rather exciting to have reinvented myself."

In his first month, he removed bread, potatoes and sugar from his diet. Since then, other items, including red meat, have come out.

Fry said his new regime has also helped him overcome bipolar disorder and made him a happier person.

Fry got his start in show business with friends from Cambridge University, including Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. He and Laurie co-wrote and played in "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" and as Bertie Wooster and his all-knowing butler, Jeeves, on British TV.

He is currently appearing in "Kingdom," a British TV series, and has been in a number of movies.