Losing weight cost me MY BEST FRIEND

When Tess Stimson made lifestyle changes, her friend began acting differently towards her

- TESS STIMSON

As I sat down to plan a long-postponed house-warming gathering with a few friends last week, my husband Erik, 49, leant over my shoulder to read the guest list.

‘What about Jackie*?’ he said. ‘Aren’t you going to invite her?’

‘We’re not friends any more,’ I said. ‘But you do everything together!’

Erik exclaimed. ‘She’s your best friend. What’s happened?’

‘My diet,’ I said. Because the sad truth is, when I decided to get fit and lose weight 18 months ago, I lost more than the extra roll of fat around my waist.

For years I’d been fairly active, rock-climbing, playing tennis and working out regularly, and even after having three children, Henry, now 26, Matt, 23, and Lily, 18, my figure snapped back pretty easily without much effort on my part. Even when I hit my 40s, I managed to avoid the dreaded middle-aged spread.

But then, in 2016, I had a nasty skiing accident, which damaged my right knee and necessitated being taken off the mountain on a stretcher. I couldn’t walk for a month, and was on crutches for a further six weeks. Some intense physiotherapy followed, and I regained my mobility, but the dance and fitness classes I used to love were out.

My best friend, Jackie, 50, was incredibly supportive, driving me to and from physio sessions and consoling me with a bottle of wine when I felt down. We met 10 years ago, when our daughters were at school together, and quickly became close.

She got along well with Erik, too, and when she went through a divorce eight years ago, I was the one who helped her move out and start again.