The chances that you’ve not heard about the world’s latest diet craze are slim: it’s been linked to several celebs and seems to be appealing to a lot of less famous faces, too!

The basics of the 5:2 diet sound incredibly straightforward, which is no doubt part of the reason behind it’s popularity.

The idea is that you eat 500 calories per day (women) or 600 calories per day (men) during two days of the week. Then you can be freer about the amount you eat the rest of the week. 5:2 was is the brainchild of Dr Michael Mosley.

Just last month, Coronation Street actor Mikey North told The Sun that Ian Puleston-Davies (the actor who portrays the ITV1 show’s Owen Armstrong) had lost one stone in weight by following 5:2.

5:2 dieter Jac Miles, a 41 year-old housewife, recently spoke to the Daily Record about using the system, something she’s been doing since the January of this year.

Praising the flexibility of the diet, she said that it was hard initially for a "couple of weeks" but then it became "easy".

Though she sometimes felt hungry in the evening at first, her body became used to the diet, she said, and she has lost one stone using it overall. She said the system does not feel like dieting and she expects to continue on with it.

"You only fast for one day at a time and then you can eat normally. When I began, I was probably the larger end of a size 12, sometimes a 14, and now I tend to be a size 10 – so the results have been great," the mum said.

Gwyneth Paltrow has been linked to the diet, as has the singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, whose career has included hits like ’Love Don’t Cost a Thing’ and ’Jenny from the Block’.

Phillip Schofield, who readers will know from ITV daytime show This Morning, as well as a wide range of other TV programmes, shed half a stone using 5:2 in only a single month.

A look on the net will instantly turn up a wide range of articles about the diet, which really has created a wave of interest.

From pieces exploring its possible benefits, to news articles linking various stars with it, you could be reading for hours if you decided to look into this craze, which seems to be fascinating and inspiring many people.  

Do remember, though, that if you are thinking of giving it a go, you should make sure you are armed with the right advice. Though popular, the diet may not be suitable for everyone, so do arm yourself with all the facts before you dive in!