Cornwall mum drops seven and a half stone after struggling to build sandcastles with her children

A mum shed an impressive seven and a half stone - after realising she was too unfit to build sandcastles with her sons.

Leanne Hemming, 40, decided to lose weight after attending a beach party for her aunt's 60th. Starting at 18st 2lbs in August 2021, she now weighs 10st 9lbs - and is much happier.

Leanne says before she struggled to move and, at the birthday bash, was the only one not dancing. Now she goes on "lovely walks" along the coast in her home county of Cornwall - and has become the fit and active mum she always dreamed of being.

Leanne, a stay-at-home mum, from Canonstown, credits Slimming World with her new diet and body transformation. She has just been crowned as the brand's Miss Slinky for 2024 - a competition voted for by members for the person who's inspired them most.

Leanne, mum to Elliott, 11, and Hugo, nine, said: "My two boys were only young, and I felt as though I was missing out. I’d wanted to be a mother for so long and yet here I was too unfit to run around after them on the beach or get down on the floor to build sandcastles without struggling for breath.

"When I was at my heaviest, I constantly felt tired - even standing up was hard work. My children were much longed-for so being a mother soon took priority over everything else and my weight and health suffered as a result.

"I’d started to feel as though I was letting the boys down though and I couldn’t allow that to happen. The most important change for me is that I’m now the mum I always wanted to be. Our family is fit, active and happy and that is all I ever could have asked for."

Dropping from a size 24 to size eight, Leanne rediscovered her confidence and is now the first out of her chair for a dance at a party. Now the mum and her whole family enjoy an active and happy lifestyle - and Leanne says she’s the mum she always wanted to be.

"My days of sitting on the sidelines are over - if there’s a party these days, I’m the first one out of my chair," said Leanne. "I was totally inactive before I lost weight – the idea of exerting myself or being out of breath was my worst nightmare.

"I live in a beautiful part of the country though, right near the coast, so I started making the most of it by going on lovely walks. As I became more confident, I joined the gym and now love the feeling I get afterwards - I gradually built this up until I was able to exercise four to five times a week, it’s just a part of my routine."