A mum told how she lost five stone after being "fat shamed" by a stranger on Facebook.
Sinead Murphy said she didn't realise how much weight she had gained until she saw a photo of herself at a car show in Harrogate, which had been shared in a car group on Facebook.
The 51-year-old, originally from Manchester and living in Old Swan, told the ECHO: "[I lost weight] as a result of being fat shamed on the internet, on Facebook. I didn't even know the girl. I was probably old enough to be her mum.
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"I think it was just a case of let's pick on someone new. She'd picked on a few people at previous [car shows].
"The picture got taken down when I reported it to the admin but it did upset me. I didn't realise how big I was."
Sinead said she first started gaining weight after meeting her partner of 12 years, Lee Tyrrell. The couple's diet consisted of McDonald's, KFC or Burger King every day and takeaways every weekend.
Sinead said: "Seven years ago I had a heart attack. You would have thought that would have prompted me to lose weight but it didn't.
"I did initially join a [Slimming World] group and I went about three times. I didn't have time with work - that was my excuse."
After seeing the photo a stranger had shared of her on Facebook, Sinead contacted her former Slimming World consultant about re-joining in June last year.
She said: "What gives anyone the right to call someone over their weight? I had to turn that negative experience into a positive.
"When I got on the scales I was really shocked at what I weighed; I was 18 stone 2lbs."
Sinead has lost five stone in the space of 12 months and has documented her weight loss journey on Instagram @slimmingworld_with_sinead.
She said: "I thought if I do see this girl at another car show in 12 months time she won't have a clue who I am. I look completely different to what I looked like last year.
"I do want to go and tap her on the shoulder and say 'thanks for what you did last year and walk off', and have her stood there thinking 'who is that?'
"Sometimes I think you need a reality check if your family are not saying anything to you, even though they can actually see you've put weight on."
Sinead has now become a Slimming World consultant and runs her own group each week at Hope Community Church in Aintree. Her partner Lee has also become a member of the group and has lost one stone 10 pounds in the space of five weeks.
Sinead added: "I think you've got to be in the right mindset to do it as well. I think going attending a group is so important because you're learning a lot in the group and getting inspiration off others."
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