Director Peter Jackson has lost a staggering 32 kilograms (five stone/70 pounds) in weight in just 10 months.

The Lord Of The Rings director stunned journalists at promotional interviews for his new movie King Kong with a svelte new look, a million miles from the overweight film-maker made famous by the fantasy trilogy.

Jackson claims the gruelling editing process on King Kong, which saw him working 21-hour days, helped him slim.

He says, "I just got tired of being overweight and unfit so I changed my diet from hamburgers to yoghurt and muesli and it seemed to work.

"It was just cutting out junk food."