"Being overweight was always difficult, clothes were a problem, I couldn't enjoy doing things with the children [and] I never felt confident in social situations."
That's how one grandmother-of-eight who struggled to squeeze into size 24 dresses has felt for most of her adult life before shedding more than half her bodyweight and losing a whopping 12-and-a-half stone.
Rose Mary Halliwell said she used to make jokes and derogatory remarks about herself to hide her feelings about her weight, describing it as "self-preservation" by "getting in before they do." But today the 73-year-old can have the final laugh after transforming her health and finding the energy and confidence to enjoy life with family and friends.
