My life changed completely on 5th November 2021. I’d been suffering from backache and shoulder pain and had developed a lump in my neck. I was totally unaware that any of these were signs of lung cancer, and my doctors didn’t piece it together, either. 

After pushing to see a specialist, I was floored by the diagnosis... it was double lung cancer. Three days later, my scans showed that the cancer had spread to my spine and pelvis. Having to share this news with my husband and my 13-year-old son, Toby, was truly awful. We were completely devastated and so scared.

Having a stage 4 cancer diagnosis felt like the end of the road, but then my consultant explained his suggested treatment plan. The aim was to keep my cancer stable for as long as possible.  

There was hope. 

From that moment, my mindset shifted from thinking about dying to thinking about living. I desperately wanted to make memories with my family, so I came up with this idea of creating a ‘life list’ of all the things I wanted to do.

The two years that followed were a whirlwind of medical treatment and raising awareness of lung cancer. I came up with a golden rule: cancer lives with me, I don’t live with cancer. I was determined not to let it stop me from living, so I started ticking destinations off my list – London, Greece, Cornwall and Dublin. As a family, we set sail on a luxury cruise around Europe, and my husband and I renewed our wedding vows in Italy, with Toby by our side. 

During this time, I was amazed to find that my cancer treatment was working. One thing that was niggling at me, though, was my weight. I’d fallen into a ‘treat yourself’ mindset and put on 2st. As my health was – and still is – my absolute priority, I needed to regain control.  

I’d previously lost 4½st with Slimming World, so I knew it worked. This time, it was even more important that I get the right nutritional balance, and my Slimming World Consultant understood this and supported me from day one.

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One thing I was never going to do was put my ‘life list’ on hold. And the beauty of Slimming World’s healthy eating plan is that it’s so flexible. You can still eat real food, including some treats, while losing weight. That’s not to say it’s always easy – there are times when I could devour a whole packet of biscuits! But Slimming World support helps me to have structure and consistency with my diet.

My passion for travel and adventure continued with holidays to New York, Norway, Mauritius, Rome, Seville and Budapest. I went to my first ever concert (Girls Aloud!) and celebrated my 40th birthday – a major milestone – in silver-sequined style. Throughout it all, I continued to steadily lose weight with Slimming World and, in April this year, I was over the moon to hit my target weight. 

In just one year, I’d gone from a size 18 to a size 12, and my confidence soared. I said goodbye to black leggings and baggy jumpers – and fell in love with fashion! A month after hitting target, I jetted off to Turkey with a suitcase full of bright, colourful, patterned clothes. 

There were more magic moments in store: another cruise, seeing Beyoncé in concert (while wearing full diamanté denim!) and, best of all, watching my boy finish secondary school, which was something that I feared I might not live to see. To celebrate, we planned his dream trip to Japan – but then we got the news that we’d been dreading. A scan showed a new growth on my spine. 

With just three days until we were due to fly, the race was on, and I checked into hospital for localised radiotherapy using cutting-edge technology. Thankfully, my doctors gave me the go-ahead to travel, and our dream trip became a reality!

Jules’s ‘life list’ photo diary

I’ve achieved so much since my cancer diagnosis. I’ve appeared on billboards for World Cancer Day, attended a Macmillan Cancer coffee morning at 10 Downing Street, and raised awareness of lung cancer through sharing my story in newspapers, magazines and on TV. Losing weight with Slimming World has given me the confidence to shine through the most difficult of times. It’s also given me a new focus, helped me build a healthy relationship with myself and allowed me to feel in control. 

Of course, I don’t know what the future holds for my health. What I do know is that I want to continue living life to the full – as the brightest, most energetic, best version of me that I can be.  

If you’re starting your weight loss journey, my biggest piece of advice would be to not look at your past or failed attempts at weight loss. Draw a line under it, be your number one cheerleader and believe in yourself – and I promise you, you will succeed! 

Would you love to feel happier and healthier with your dream weight loss result? You’ll find so much support in your local Slimming World group. Find out what to expect when you walk through those doors.

Weight loss will vary according to your individual circumstances and how much weight you have to lose.​