TOO FAT FOR HUGS BUT NOW I'VE LOST 9 STONE

Aged 27, I was swept off my feet by my gorgeous husband, Lee, now 42. I was 13st and loved my curvy figure. Lee was the perfect gentleman, and we quickly fell in love. We enjoyed nights out at fancy restaurants and cosy evenings in feasting on takeaways. But our romantic nights took its toll on my weight, and I gained four stone in as many years. Lee told me he'd love me at any size, so I wasn't too worried. However, my weight spiralled out of control after falling pregnant in 2003 with my son, Oliver. Three years later, I weighed a whopping 20st. ‘Does my bum look big in this?’ I asked Lee, as I stuffed myself into a pair of size-24 jeans.

Other great stories
PLAYFUL ELEPHANTS MAKE A SPLASH

WIDE EYED with a huge smile across her face, this little elephant is a picture of happiness .

PORTRAITS IN PAKISTAN

A photographer from the United Arab Emirates travelled to Pakistan where he captured the lives of local people in a series of expressive portraits .

VENOM MAN

AN UNEMPLOYED factory worker has proved his immunity to snake venom by letting a deadly mamba bite his bare arm .

VIBRANT WOODPECKER FEEDS HER YOUNG

A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .

AMAZING AMERICAN LANDSCAPES

This tranquil setting stretches for miles as the sun sets behind the mountain .

SEXUALLY ABUSED AT 9 BY GRANDAD

A survivor of abuse has bravely waived her anonymity to tell how she was sexually assaulted from the age of nine - by her depraved grandad .

WOMAN PARALYSED BY EX CAMPAIGNS AGAINST CYBERSTALKING

A woman who was cyberstalked before being shot and paralysed by her ex-husband is campaigning to raise awareness for stalking victims .

STABBED BY SON

Daniel Blore, 21, of Innage Crescent, Bridgnorth, stabbed his mother three times in the attack on January 11 this year, Stafford Crown Court heard .

ANTS IN TUG OF WAR

A trio of ants are locked in a tug of war over a fly as they pull the bug by its legs .

SMALLEST HOUSE IN THE UK

WELCOME to the pretty 122-inch-tall red dwelling that lays claim to the title of the UK's smallest house .

MOON ART

From shooting hoops to performing kick ups, a boy has a ball with the moon .

CHEATING COPPERS CAUGHT RED HANDED AT AIRPORT BY SCORNED MISSUS

A scorned woman sparked a punch-up in an airport after she caught her copper boyfriend returning from a romantic holiday with a female police officer .