'I LOVED BEING A BRIDE FOR A SECOND TIME'

Amanda Blackburn, 46, lives in Colchester, Essex, with husband, Kris, and children, Lenny, 12, and Scarlett, seven. She is a member at Linda Duncan's Slimming World group in Colchester

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Looking super smart in his pale pink shirt, my son Lenny took my arm.

'We have to do this properly, Mum,' he said, as he walked me down to a marquee that overlooked a beautiful water feature. As my husband, Kris, came into sight, waiting for me next to our daughter Scarlett ready to renew our wedding vows, I had a tear in my eye.

This, I thought, is everything I've ever wanted.

Twenty years earlier, when Kris and I got married, I'd been over 13st heavier and wore a size-28 dress. I liked it - mainly because it covered my arms - but I couldn't say I loved it. And afterwards, while I liked our photos, I didn't love those either. In fact, the only thing I did love about our day was my husband.

Back then, I was a room leader at a day nursery where there was a constant supply of chocolate and biscuits. I was living with type 1 diabetes and fibromyalgia, but my own health took a back seat once the children came along.