A woman who hated how she looked was able to shed a whopping 11 stone before her wedding day after the pandemic set back the date of her nuptials by two years. Melissa Williams, from Bridgend in South Wales, weighed 25st 4lbs when the church was first booked in 2020, but she'd completely transformed her appearance by the time she finally got to walk down the aisle.
The 27-year-old's big day was delayed for two years because of the chaos caused by Covid, meaning she had to go out to buy an entirely new dress in order to marry her partner Chris, 29, in April this year. In the interim, the stay-at-home mum had shrunk down from a size 30 to a size 16.
So, while the scheduling problems would have proved a nightmare for most, it finally gave Melissa the opportunity to turn her life around, reports WalesOnline. "I've been big for as long as I could remember," she said.
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"I was a secret eater, a binge eater - I'd have Chinese and Indian takeaways about four times a week. The weight crept up on me and all of a sudden I was 25st 4lbs and wearing a size 30-32.
"I was miserable and didn't leave the house. I was cutting myself off from everyone around me and was initially dreading getting married.
"I hated the dress I'd bought, but I just got it for the sake of it because I knew that no dress would look nice on me."
And, in a desperate bid to get her life back, Melissa had weight loss surgery in August 2021. And her parents, Lynne, 67, and Tony James, 58, were so worried about the dark place she was in that they offered to pay £11,250 for her gastric bypass.
"I'd completely lost myself," said Melissa. "My parents were so worried about me and just wanted to get me better. I was humiliated by the way I looked. I'd taken my son, Charlie, six, to a fun park and I'd gotten on a ride with him.
"The bar wouldn't go down and I was asked to get off of the ride. I've never felt more embarrassed than I did at that moment. I also felt so bad for Charlie. I couldn't even go on walks or run about with him in the fields because of my size.
"I could hardly walk to the end of the street. I was on blood pressure medication and my back was so sore. My health was deteriorating and I knew something needed to change." As a result, she said she felt incredible at the wedding."
Melissa added: "I am so happy that our wedding was pushed back because I felt amazing on the day. My new dress was a size 16 and it felt great I looking at myself in the mirror whilst wearing it.
"Then, during our honeymoon in Gran Canaria, I even wore a bikini for the first time in my life.
"I feel better now than I have ever felt and I am so much healthier. It's the best decision I have ever made, and I had the best wedding day that I could have ever dreamed of."
