Bride left 'unrecognizable' to wedding guests after losing 100lbs in incredible transformation
A bride-to-be who tipped the scales at over 200lb shed nearly half her body weight to squeeze into the 'wedding dress of her dreams'.
Make-up artist Emilie Heeks, 26, had piled on the pounds after years of tucking into pizzas, takeaways and full-fat sodas.
At her heaviest, Emilie weighed 17st 12lbs (around 240 lbs) and wore XXL t-shirts.
But after boyfriend Ollie got down on one knee at the end of 2024, she vowed to transform her life in time for her big day.
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She refused to resort to weight-loss injections or diet pills and instead joined UK weight loss group Slimming World in January last year.
In just nine months she dropped an incredible eight stone, slimming down to 9st 12lbs (127lbs) and a trim size UK eight.
She said: "People were amazed at my transformation and did comment that they hardly recognised me which was amazing to hear.
"I knew I had to do something to stop piling the weight on because it was affecting me physically and mentally.
"As soon as Ollie proposed I set myself the challenge of getting into my dream wedding dress."
Emilie, from Worcestershire, England, had always struggled with her weight and piled even more on after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (IBD Bowel Disease).
She said: "I'd often skip breakfast but grab a bacon roll and a coffee on my way to work and then have a chicken bake with chips for lunch.
"Dinners would often be a Chinese takeaway or pizzas or curries and I used to drink full-fat Coke.
"I have always struggled with my weight and I got to the point where I thought I was so big I might as well have the most calorific thing on the menu."
The determined bride hit her target weight in October last year and managed to keep it off ahead of her wedding to Ollie, 25, in May.
She said: "I met Ollie in 2016 and he was into rugby and had a big appetite and we used to eat a lot together.
"It was alright for him because he needed it for the games but I didn't burn any off. My mental health definitely suffered.
"Since losing the weight, Ollie is so proud of me and it has changed our lives. We go walking together now at weekends and I'm much more up for socialising when before I'd hide away.
"When my family and friends saw me, some of them said they didn't recognise me. I was just determined to keep the weight off and enjoy my new figure."
As the pounds melted away, Emilie also discovered a love of exercise and now runs up to 20km a week around her local streets, as well as hiking with Ollie at weekends.
She said: "I'd never been into exercise but when I lost five stone I started running and now go three or four times a week.
"I wanted to lose the weight on my own, without injections or pills. I knew I had to change my lifestyle and there was no quick fix.
"I still enjoy my favourite foods but I now cook healthy versions of them and all from scratch.
"When I look at my wedding photographs I can hardly believe the change in my appearance. It was the perfect motivation.
"My wedding day was just amazing and I had so much confidence. It was definitely one of the best days of my life and Ollie is so proud of me.
"I am not afraid of my weight loss journey anymore and I want to shout it from the rooftops."
Topics: Weight loss, UK News
Niamh Shackleton