A mum-of-two had her new dress bought for her by a stranger who saw her try it on in New Look.
Gemma Louise Ghosh, 37, was trying on a dress for a friend’s wedding in the St Helens store on Monday and had planned to buy it the following week. She told the ECHO that despite regularly feeling insecure about how she looked, she felt beautiful in the dress.
After leaving the changing room, Gemma, who has two daughters, couldn’t believe it when a staff member told her two strangers had bought her the £33.99 dress. The woman in the cubicle next to Gemma thought she looked wonderful and her husband had paid for the dress.
READ MORE: Liverpool drivers could be charged under Clean Air Zone plans
Gemma, who is from Doncaster but has lived in St Helens for 14 years, said: “This couple have no idea just how much they changed my life in that moment. It made me feel so different about myself and they’ve made me realise it doesn’t matter what size I am.
“I haven’t really been out that much recently because I haven’t felt comfortable. But I felt beautiful for that minute and that’s what’s important.”
She said the husband gave her a high-five and told her she looked beautiful and to have an amazing time at the wedding. But his generosity didn’t end there, as he handed her £20, telling her to have a drink on him.
Gemma ‘fell to the ground’ in tears and was surrounded by staff, who were also crying. When she went back to the shop this morning, they told her they hadn’t stopped thinking about what had happened.
She said: “I just didn’t expect it! I’m always the person who pays for someone else if their card declines but this sort of thing has never happened to me before. This couple need recognition and to know they have changed someone’s life forever.
“My heart is so full and I feel incredibly blessed. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
Gemma posted about what had happened on Facebook. It received thousands of likes and meant she was able to find the couple – Debbie and Mike Ronan – who so kindly bought her the dress.
Debbie has an eye bleed that causes her to lose her sight. The family have set up a GoFundMe page to help as the blindness stops her from working.
Gemma said: “I can’t believe this poor lady is going through this and they still did something so generous for me.”
Gemma has now hung the dress up on her wardrobe door. When she woke up this morning she saw it and was reminded of the kindness of the two strangers who made her feel so happy about the way she looked.
She also realised that – in a happy coincidence – the colour of her dress matches the one her daughter is planning to wear to the wedding. The big day will take place in Derbyshire in June and is for one of Gemma’s long-term friends.
They have known each other for 26 years after meeting on holiday. Gemma said all she wanted was to feel nice at the wedding because she will be reunited with people she hasn’t seen in years – and now, thanks to two strangers, she has her wish.
She said: “I’ve realised it doesn’t matter what people say about how I look and what ex-partners have called me. Everyone deserves to feel beautiful.”
