Model mum sheds half her body weight in dramatic transformation

A mum-of-five from Leeds who once weighed 21 stone underwent an incredible transformation that saw her shed more than half her body weight - and now she's modelling for top international magazines.

- by James Connolly

Nicola Singleton described food as an "addiction" that helped her cope with trauma she's faced - including the death of her children's father, a serious car crash, and the loss of her own dad.

But in 2021, not long after the birth of her youngest child, she overheard a cruel comment about her weight that prompted a remarkable journey - and a gastric bypass that changed her life.

"I'd always been overweight," said the 38-year-old. "I was bullied throughout school and faced a lot of nasty comments about it. I'd tried absolutely everything I could to lose weight, but food had been an addiction for me.

"It's a comfort. Whenever I went through a bad time, I just wanted to eat - and I'd end up piling on weight.

"I was at my biggest just after I'd had my youngest son and I overheard someone saying that I was the 'fattest mum'. It just absolutely broke my heart - and I knew I needed to sort myself out."

Her journey had already been shaped by years of struggle. In 2014, she was involved in a head-on car crash on Wakefield Road near Garforth which left her in a wheelchair for nearly five months.