The company plans to eliminate $1.15 billion in debt and switch its focus to telehealth and weight loss drug prescriptions.

WeightWatchers has filed for bankruptcy in the US as it struggles with debt and fierce competition from fat-loss jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro. The legal process will see $1.15bn (£860mn) of the 60-year-old diet brand's debt written off while it agrees new terms for paying back its lenders.

The company, which has shaped how millions eat and exercise, is trying to reduce its debt as it expands its telehealth business.