Donning a 1950s-style red velvet flared dress, I stepped into the hall, excited for the night of dancing ahead. It was April 2019 and I'd taken up swing jive six months before, and now I spent my weekends going to dance socials, where I got to show off my moves. Just two years earlier, I could never have attempted dancing as I'd been dangerously overweight and walking just five minutes down the road would leave me breathless. Now, though, since shedding the pounds, I felt better than ever.
Throughout my adult life, I’d always weighed around 11st, and at 5ft 7in, I felt good. As a stay-at-home mum, my days were busy as I raised my three children – Charlotte, who was born in October 1995, Amber, who came along three years later, and Liam, born in 2000. Sadly, their dad and I split in 2005, after 15 years together. Two years later, at 37, I started working as medicine company and enjoyed an active social life. Like most people, I was prone to putting on weight quickly if I indulged, so was a regular at the gym. Then, in 2012, aged 42, I got a motorbike.
By now I was married, and my husband was supportive of my new hobby, but in early 2013, I had an accident. I had to swerve out of the way of an oncoming car and clipped the pavement in the process, falling off my bike and hitting a lamppost. The left side of my body was impacted, leaving me with torn ligaments in my knee, a haematoma on my hip and a bruised shoulder. I spent three days being monitored in hospital, and while
PICK ’N’ MIX
My husband had a sweet tooth, and into a bag of sugary sweets on a daily basis. ‘Go on then, one more,’ I’d say when he offered me some of his pick ’n’ mix.
This story is from the January 31, 2022 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
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This story is from the January 31, 2022 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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