AT her heaviest, Gemma Smith weighed more than 22st and wore a size 24.
Constantly huffing and puffing, the single mum-of-three got just walking for the lift, never mind running around after her kids. But it wasn’t that helped her shed half her body weight.
Gemma, now 40, was always a slim child but began rapidly gaining weight aged 17 when she met her first serious partner, who worked as a chef.
By the time she got married, she had gone from a size 12 to a size 20.
From then on, Gemma struggled to keep the number on the scales down, and it eventually rose to 22st 4lbs.
“I gained weight with my pregnancies and though I managed to lose a bit, I always put it back on,”;; she tells Sun Health.
“The years went by, and deep down, I was really miserable.”;;
Despite her hitting an all-time low, it wasn’t until she was called up for in 2019 that she realised just how much her lifestyle had spiralled out of control.
Her trial lasted seven months – far longer than the standard two-week commitment – and she sought comfort in high calorie foods.
“I was sitting down all day, and all the jury members would bring in sweets and biscuits to share around,”;; Gemma, a call centre worker from Oldham, Greater , says.
“We had toast for breakfast, and I just ate and ate junk food. I gained a lot of weight.
“When I went back to work, I was horrified to find I could barely get to the lift without gasping for breath, never mind climb any stairs.
“I couldn’t run around the kids and I had asthma.
“It was a real turning point for me – I realised something had to change.”;;
At just 5ft tall, weighing 22st 4lbs and having to buy size 24 clothes, she knew she was .
Gemma’s mum, Christine, offered to go with her to and, in 2019, she signed up.
The went well, successfully swapping like Frosties for fruit and yoghurt.
Gemma also ditched her lunches in favour of tuna pasta, and finally stopped scoffing an entire loaf of bread as a thanks to her new slogan, “Bread is dead”;;.
And she began cooking dinners from scratch, such as curries and Bolognese, rather than relying on frozen ready meals.
It’s been quite a journey, but I’ve got back to how I was – bubbly, confident, raring to go out again
Gemma Smith
Inspired by her success, Gemma even took charge of the group’s social team.
She says: “Every time I felt like quitting, my group leader, Linda, reminded me I was needed.
“My big weakness was bread, but I cut it out completely. Our slogan was: ‘Bread is dead’.
“I even had a sticker on my fridge saying: ‘You are not hungry!’”;;
Gemma dropped to 18st and plateaued for a couple of years.
Then in May 2024, she began working with a different consultant, Hannah, and this was a trigger for her to start afresh.
She began again and dropped a further 5st 7lbs in eleven months.
Gemma says: “I needed an operation for gallstones and so I had to lose weight.
“Both leaders at Slimming World were brilliant, but working with Hannah felt like a new start, and I managed to do really well.”;;
Because she had lost almost 10st in total, Gemma was left with a lot of .
In February 2025, she flew to for a , which saw her lose 1st 3lbs in excess flesh.
‘I feel completely transformed’
“I wasn’t entitled to the op on the NHS, even though I’d lost all my weight naturally, so I paid for it privately abroad,”;; Gemma says.
“I do understand it’s seen as cosmetic, but on the other hand I’m not using the NHS for weight loss injections or for anything else.
“I’d much rather have lost weight the natural way because I don’t just look better, I feel it too.”;;
Earlier this month, Gemma was presented with her 10st weight loss award.
“It’s been quite a journey, but now I feel absolutely transformed,”;; she says.
“I’ve got back to how I was – bubbly, confident, raring to go out again.
“Up until last year, I’d never been to a music concert, now I’ve been to three in the last 12 months.
“I love shopping for clothes and now my teenage daughter raids my wardrobe!
“I can race around after the kids, and I love long walks.
“My advice to anyone would be to have a visible goal – a photo on your fridge or a dress hanging on your wardrobe door.
“For me, it was a motorbike. I’ve always wanted to ride a motorbike, but I was too heavy.
“Now, I’m training for my test, and it will be a dream come true.”;;
