Fat-shamed BY MY MUM

Gemma Hall, 28, showed off her snaps and got a dose of tough love

- ALLEY EINSTEIN

Sitting in the living room, I proudly swiped through my holiday photos on my phone, showing them off to my mum Jayne. Glowing with a golden tan after a week in Spain with two friends, I was itching to recount all the fun I'd had while taking a break from my job as an employment consultant. 'What do you think of my new green bikini?" I asked.

I thought I looked pretty good in it. But the look on her face worried me - she seemed awkward. 'The bikini is a nice colour,' she said. 'But Gemma... you look like a beached whale in it!' It wasn't the reaction I'd hoped for from my 59-year-old mum.

I knew she was a straight talker, but her comment came from nowhere. At a size 16, I realised I'd gained weight, but hearing Mum be so blunt about it at our home in Manchester was a bombshell. For a second, I sat thinking, 'My mum has just told me I'm fat.' My gut response was to cry. Then I wondered if she was just teasing. It turned out she wasn't.

My mum thought I was overweight. Now, a year on, I am so pleased she had the courage and strength to be so blunt.

Best way

Her honesty prompted me to lose weight, get healthier and happier. People's size and weight is something we all tiptoe around.

But maybe we shouldn't. Mum showed me it's OK to adopt a sledgehammer approach.

In fact, sometimes it's the only way. And it's increasingly necessary. Government figures from May revealed that between 2022 and 2023, 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or obese. This was an increase from 2020 to 2021 (63.3%).

Obesity is usually defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above.