MY ₤16K MUMMY MAKEOVER

Sarah Kenyon, 33, was half the size she used to be -but there was something hiding beneath her clothes

- JULIA SIDWELL

Shovelling the last of the crispy beef onto my fork, I scanned the foil trays for leftovers. ‘I could eat all that again,’ I sighed. ‘It was really good,’ my partner Anthony agreed.

We’d ordered crispy beef with noodles, prawn toast, chicken wings, spring rolls, curried samosas and seaweed from our favourite Chinese, washed down with fizzy pop. We did it every weekend – and most weekdays too – but eating so many greasy takeaways was taking its toll on my waistline. At 5ft 7in and a size 22, I knew I needed to take control of my weight.

I’d struggled since falling pregnant aged 16. I’d started eating for two but never stopped. After having Roxanne, I went on to have Braydon and then Bobby, getting bigger with each pregnancy.

When Bobby was 18 months old I met Anthony, who raised the kids like they were his own. But now, as busy parents, we’d let our health slide. I stepped on the bathroom scales every morning to see the digits increasing.

‘Why don’t we join the gym together?’ Anthony suggested. I joined a few classes while Anthony did weight training and we both enjoyed getting fit. Over the next three months Anthony lost five stone and I lost four.

MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE

On Mother’s Day 2020, the kids ran into the living room and presented me with a bracelet charm. Then Anthony dropped to one knee, holding a rose gold ring with three sparkling stones.

‘Will you marry me?’ he asked. I was stunned, but of course I said yes. Four days later, the UK went into lockdown. My job as a housing officer went online while Anthony’s dog training business came to a halt. Stuck at home with the fridge for company, all the weight I’d lost piled back on and soon I tipped the scales at 19 stone.