For three seasons Nicole Eggert was one of the sexy lifeguards on Baywatch.

But a shocking picture of Nicole snapped this summer showed her as overweight, bloated, and with rolls of fat on her once-flat stomach. And just as the tabloids targeted Kirstie Alley for packing on the pounds, they've had a field day mocking the former Baywatch babe.

Now Eggert's speaking out in an INSIDE EDITION exclusive.
    
"At first I didn't recognize myself. It said "Baywatch Babe"...and I said, 'That looks like my bathing suit,' and then I looked at it and I said, 'Oh My God!' " she says. 
   
Nicole says despite the tabloids saying she gained 45 pounds, it was really only 30 pounds. And she's kept her sense of humor and appeared in a hilarious spoof for FunnyOrDie.com.

So what happened to cause the 37-year-old single mom to gain so much weight?
   
"I went through a really rough time," she explains. "I lost my father in a really tough battle with cancer and I also went though a bad relationship
   
To cope, Nicole says she replaced her workout routine with food.
           
Now Nicole is on a mission. "Slowly but surely I'm seeing results," she says.

She works out two hours a day on a treadmill, doing crunches, and running on the beach.    "It just feels good to be working out again," she says.

She's eating healthier too, and including lots of fresh vegetables and salads in her diet, but says she's had to give up all the foods she loves.

Nicole hopes her fans will support her on her journey to get back into that famous red swimsuit. "I want to fit into my clothes again, I want to be back to my normal size."