When I first walked into Slimming World 12 years ago, I was hoping to lose weight. I never imagined how many other aspects of my life would change, too. 

I was an overweight child and teenager, and I was often teased and bullied because of my size. Those experiences stayed with me for years and had a huge impact on my confidence and self-esteem. Looking back now, I can see that food became my comfort, security and a way of coping when life felt difficult. 

Unfortunately, life brought its fair share of heartbreak. My parents divorced when I was young, which probably affected me more than I realised at the time. Then there was the devastating loss of our first child, Christian, and later my beautiful sister at a young age. Those were the kinds of experiences that change you forever.

For years, I dealt with those feelings the only way I knew how. I ate. Not because I was hungry, but because eating gave me comfort when I was hurting. 

Living with coeliac disease added another complication. I always had to think carefully about what I could and couldn’t eat, and I convinced myself that weight loss would be harder for me than it was for everyone else. 

Like many people, I tried diet after diet. I’d lose weight, put it back on, then blame myself. What I understand now is that the problem wasn’t me – it was that the diets never taught me how to deal with why I was eating in the first place.

Everything came to a head in 2013, during a hospital appointment.  I was asked to get on the scales and I refused. I was so ashamed of my weight that I simply couldn’t face seeing the number. 

I remember the doctor asking me why I wouldn’t do it, and I became quite defensive. I told him my weight wasn’t important because I was only there about a lump behind my ear. The truth was, I was scared. 

At that point I’d been taking blood pressure medication for around 10 years. Deep down, I knew my health wasn’t where it should have been, but I’d become very good at shutting it out. Driving home after the hospital visit, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

Around that time, I watched someone I knew achieve amazing success at Slimming World. She looked happier, healthier and more confident than ever before, and seeing her transformation planted a seed in my mind. If I wanted a healthier future, something had to change. 

Eventually, I found the courage to walk through the doors of my local Slimming World group. 

In fact, it’s quite funny looking back on it now. I’d been in Essex for my daughter’s birthday and then rushed back in torrential rain to get to group. By the time I arrived, I was soaked through, late, flustered and absolutely terrified. I genuinely looked like a drowned rat. 

I was worried that everyone would be looking at me and judging me because of my size. Instead, they welcomed me with smiles, laughter and a cup of tea. That moment changed my life – nobody judged me, I was welcomed exactly as I was, and that meant the world.

Six weeks after joining Slimming World, something happened that could easily have knocked me off course completely – I became seriously ill and needed emergency surgery. Many people would have put healthy eating to one side while they focused on getting through something so frightening. It had the opposite effect on me. 

By then I’d already lost 21lbs (9.5kg), and I remember some of the medical team saying that the weight loss was helping my recovery. Hearing that really stayed with me. It made me realise I needed to continue slimming – not just for my blood pressure, but for my overall health, too.

What I’ve loved most, though, is that the support never stops. The encouragement, laughter and shared experiences with other members, guided by our fantastic Consultant, Jamie, have helped me stay accountable every step of the way.  

I love the recipes and the magazine, and having access to thousands of delicious recipes (that are easy to make gluten-free). And the podcast is perfect for listening to on the go, or when I’m out walking, to keep my mindset focused.

Now it’s 11½ years since I reached target and I’m still here, still attending group and still maintaining my weight loss! 

I don’t need to take blood pressure medication now, and that’s probably one of the things I’m proudest of. 

Of course, losing weight has given me more energy and confidence, but the biggest change isn’t something you can see. 

For most of my life, food was how I dealt with difficult feelings. If I was upset, stressed, worried or grieving, I’d eat. Slimming World didn’t just teach me how to lose weight – it helped me to understand myself better and build healthier habits that I could actually live with.

Being gluten-free, I have to be careful with food choices, so I’ve always cooked from scratch at home. As I started making Food Optimising changes, my family naturally became part of the journey, too. 

My husband Colin went on to lose more than 6½st (41.3kg), my daughter Rebecca lost an amazing 5½st (34.9kg), and my youngest daughter Rachel has also made positive lifestyle changes.

One of the biggest surprises to come from my journey was where my newfound confidence eventually led me. 

For years I’d convinced myself that I wasn’t capable enough, confident enough or clever enough to do something new. Eventually, I decided to challenge that way of thinking. 

I returned to education, trained as a professional counsellor and eventually opened my own private practice. Today I work with people experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and low self-esteem. My own experiences help me understand how it feels to struggle and what a difference the right support can make.

Sometimes I stop and think about how much has changed. The woman who walked into her first Slimming World group soaking wet, terrified and unable to face a set of scales is now running her own business and supporting others to believe in themselves. 

That’s why, when people ask me what Slimming World has given me, my answer is never just ‘weight loss’. It’s changed the way I think, helped me build healthier habits and taught me how to move forward without guilt when life gets challenging. It’s given me my health back, and the confidence I never knew I had. Truly life-changing.