'I was shocked': Rachel Frederickson is crowned The Biggest Loser after shrinking to a tiny 105 lbs

She was a former athlete who at just age 23 had ballooned to 260 lbs and was too embarrassed to even let her own family see her.

But Rachel Frederickson was barely recognizable on Tuesday at a tiny 105 lbs - making her $250,000 richer as the latest winner of The Biggest Loser.

The one-time world class athlete lost almost 60 percent of her body weight and cut an incredibly slender figure in a silver dress as she took home the title from the latest season of the hit weight-loss competition show.

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Too much too soon? Rachel's 155-pound weight loss on the season 15 finale of The Biggest Loser made fans worry she became anorexic

I'm healthy: The 24-year-old said she followed the eating plan given to her

Rachel appeared the clear winner of the three finalists as soon as she strolled out on stage at the live finale in Hollywood.

Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels when she first saw her mouthed: 'Oh my God!'

It took Rachel several seconds after the final weigh-in to realize she had won - and she could barely control her shock as confetti started raining down.

Very slender: It was hard not to notice the young woman's changed form

Heartfelt support: Rachel's supporters held signs in the audience rooting her on

Too much: Fans have taken to Twitter to complain about Rachel Frederickson's massive weight loss on The Biggest Loser, claiming it is too much

She did it: Confetti fell as Rachel was crowned The Biggest Loser

She earlier said the show helped transform her from an 'unhappy, sad girl into this girl that is so confident.'

'I've found her - I'm never going to let her go,' Rachel said.



She had also insisted that her new confidence was more important than the title.

'This journey already has been life changing,' she said. 'It would just sweeten it all up to stand on that scale and know that you are The Biggest Loser.'

'I was shocked,' Rachel told People backstage shortly after winning.



Rachel beat fellow finalists David Brown, 42, and Bobby Saleem, 28, to take the title.

Second place: David Brown lost 222 lbs during the show and narrowly missed out on winning



Third place: Bobby lost a whopping 188 lbs and finished third in the weight loss competition



One of the 12 contestants who already had been eliminated had the second biggest percentage body weight loss - and took home the next biggest prize of $100,000.

Tumi Oguntala, 41, developed a love for running to help her drop from 319lbs to 144lbs, losing an incredible 54.86 percent of her body weight.

The coaches recalled how they knew she had it in her when she was asked on day one to try to run 20 flights of stairs - and came back having done 32.

At-home winner: Tumi Oguntala won the $100,000 prize for eliminated contestants as she developed a love for running

Tumi now has plans to run her first marathon and was left in tears as Jillian Michaels said it was 'love at first sight for me' when she met Tumi.

'I love her like crazy. You'll always be my family,' the trainer told her.

Of the three finalists, the closest competition for Rachel was David, who lost almost 55 percent of his body weight to go from a massive 409 lbs to a fit-looking 187 lbs, a loss of 222 pounds.

He was also the competitor whose story touched viewers the most after he admitted his slide into obesity was spurred on by the devastating loss of his wife to brain cancer.

Project manager: David started the competition weighing 409 lbs

'To end this season as The Biggest Loser would mean the sad story I came in with turned into some epic story by the time I left,' he had said proudly. 'And I'd be able to have that hero ending that I've never been able to have.'

Equally unrecognizable not just for his body transformation but also for being clean-cut and shaven, David - in a smart suit and tie - said it 'took great bravery on my part' to go from just watching previous seasons of the show to actually taking part.

'Tonight is not the winning step - the winning step was the first one,' he said proudly.

Inspiring story: David admitted that his slide to obesity started after the devastating loss of his wife to brain cancer

As he waited to step on the scale, he tearfully thanked his children and other family members for 'the love and support they've always given me, no matter what size I was.'

And he insisted everyone on the show was already a winner.

'Whether it is me or whether it is Rachel, the confetti is going to fall on all of us, because we win,' he said.

Third finalist David lost an incredible 188 lbs as he dropped from 358 to 170.

Third place: Bobby Salem went from 358 lbs to 170 lbs on the show to finish in third place

And for David the show did not just help him lose weight - it helped him come out of the closet, thanks largely to the inspiration of celebrity trainer Bob Harper.

'When I was eliminated I went home and came out to my dad. I feel like I have this burden that's lifted now,' he said. 'This is the most proud I've felt probably in my entire life.'

But he joked that it almost all changed as he obsessed about how the other finalists were going to look, joking: 'Rachel's gonna make me straight, I've been thinking about her so much.'

But he was heartfelt in what the show had meant for him.

'When I first got on the ranch I was a broken person. I was so ashamed of myself for different reasons,' he said.

'I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror - and now throughout this entire process I've gotten so proud of myself and I'm such a confident person,' David said.



Burden lifted: Bobby came out of the closet and shed 188 lbs thanks to the show

The season's most famous contestant, R&B star Ruben Studdard, may not have been one of the biggest losers, but still lost a quarter of his body weight as he went from 462 lbs to 343 lbs.

Having said his main goal was to get below 400, he seemed thrilled at his new appearance - radiating as he gave a star performance of his new single Meant To Be off his new album Unconditional Love.

Fittingly the lyrics perfectly echoed what everyone had been through on the show, with him singing that 'we can be all that we're meant to be'.

Goal reached: American Idol winner Ruben Studdard lost a quarter of his weight

New single: Ruben performed his new single Meant To Be during the finale

All the contestants were watched proudly by the trainers, with Jillian and Dolvett Quince both smartly dressed.

Jillian wore a tight black dress and Dolvett sported a black suit and white dress shirt, while Bob Harper went for a scruffier look in a leather jacket, black jeans and boots.

But Bob could also end up a winner - after Olympic weightlifter Holley Mangold inviting him to be a part of her team going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil if she makes the next games.

Trainers and host: Dolvett Quince, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper joined host Alison Sweeney on the stage

So proud: Dolvett, Jillian, Bob and Alison congratulated the contestants throughout the show

Holly - who lost 96 lbs to go from 351 to 255 - had already reduced Bob to tears during the season.

Bob got emotional once again as he said: 'Holly was not just a contestant, she was a peer, a friend. I learned so much from you Holly and thank you so much for gracing our show and showing me so much. I love you and will always love you.'

The evening was hosted by soap opera star Alison Sweeney who displayed her impressive physique in a tight white dress.

The host: Alison showed her svelte figure in a hugging white dress

Other previous winners also proudly talked about how the show changed their lives with Mark Kruger saying he has run a 100-mile endurance race.

Last season's winner Danni Allen said she ran a marathon and also opened a yoga studio.

Pete Thomas stripped off his shirt to proudly show off his impressive abs and biceps.

Shirt off: Former contestant Pete Thomas took off his shirt to show that he had kept his weight off

'A second chance means the rest of your life can be the best of your life,' he said.

'Nine years after appearing on this very stage, I'm proof that you can lose it fast and lose it forever.'

Viewers were told during the broadcast that during the show's 15 seasons contestants had lost a total of 15 tons of weight.

