Doing it FOR DAD!

Gemma Montague knows her late father would be so proud of her losing more than 5st

- WORDS: CHRISTABEL SMITH. PHOTOS: SLIMMING WORLD/DAN JONES, KATE WHITAKER, MARTIN POOLE, PAUL BULLER, TOBY SCOTT

As I watched my dad being wheeled away down the hospital corridor, tears streamed down my face. Dad had a history of weight-related health issues, including high cholesterol, and when Mum had called to tell me that, at the age of 83, he’d suffered a stroke, I’d feared the worst. Thankfully, he had been stabilised and now, as he was taken away for tests, one of the nurses came over to me for a chat. I was so upset I was struggling to breathe and she was clearly concerned about the state I was in. ‘Do you have kids?’ she asked, sitting me down with a cup of tea. When I said I had three, she said, ‘You’re a lovely girl, and it must be awful to see your dad so unwell. You’d never want your children to see you like that, would you? There’s no better time to start taking care of yourself than now.’

Living in denial

At the time it was the last thing I wanted to hear, though looking back that nurse’s words were life-changing.