I DIDN'T RECOGNISE WHO I WAS

Hannah Castledine, 33, got the wake-up call she desperately needed, and is taking centre stage again

-  MICHELLE RAWLINS

HEIGHT: 5ft 5in

STARTING WEIGHT: 25st 12lb

WEIGHT NOW: 12st 12lb

WEIGHT LOST: 13st

Standing at the school gate, I watched my daughter Isabelle excitedly run into the playground. She found her friends and I heard her say, ‘My mummy’s got another certificate!’ As she turned and waved me goodbye, I beamed back. After years of resigning myself to being unhappy with my weight, I’d started this journey for Isabelle, to carve out a long and healthy future to spend with her.

I was slim when I was younger, but that changed when I went to college to study Musical Theatre. Between the cakes from the canteen and pub lunches of cheesy chips, I went up to a size 20. When I left college and started working as an entertainer at a holiday park, I’d snack on sausage rolls and pasties during hectic days. And dancing and moving around all day didn’t stop me from going up another dress size. In time, I had Isabelle, and now savoury snacks turned to sweet as I used sugar as an energy boost after broken nights of sleep, eating boxes of doughnuts or a whole birthday cake from the supermarket for breakfast. Isabelle’s dad and I had planned to get married, but along the way our relationship broke down, and I began a slide into crippling depression.

By the time Isabelle started school, I’d drop her off in the morning, sleep all day and only wake up when it was time to collect her, picking up a Chinese or Indian takeaway on the way home. As my weight increased, I felt too embarrassed to take Isabelle to the park or go swimming.