Three years ago, Sharon reached one of the lowest points in her life. After losing her best friend to Covid, she turned to food for comfort - fizzy drinks, snacks and chocolate became her solace as she struggled to cope with grief and upheaval.

“I’d always been the bigger, louder side of life,” Sharon says. “I hid behind my weight. I thought, who was I if I wasn’t ‘big Shaz’?”

But as time went on, her health was beginning to suffer. A visit to her GP brought devastating news. Sharon was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and warned she had a small heart issue. The message was stark: if she didn’t make changes, she might not be here in 18 months.

That was the wake-up call I needed,” she says.

Determined to turn her life around, Sharon contacted her Slimming World consultant and joined the Thursday 5pm group at Llanfaes Church Hall in Brecon. She drank her last bottle of fizzy pop, ate her last family-size chocolate bar, and planned her first weekly menu using her Food Optimising books.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Sharon admits. “Just hearing someone open a can of pop made me want one. But I stuck to the plan.”

As the weeks went on, Sharon rediscovered her love of cooking and baking, and was amazed to find she could enjoy plenty of food and still lose weight. Her journey wasn’t always smooth, but the support from her Slimming World family kept her going.

She explained: “I’ve fallen off the wagon at times. It hasn’t all been plain sailing. But the support I get from my Slimming World family is unreal. The hugs when things go wrong, the genuine cheers when you lose weight - and the support outside of group too - it’s like having a second family.”

Her own family have also been a constant source of encouragement, telling her how proud they are. And Sharon has proved wrong the people who doubted she would stick with it.

“I do it because I want to be here. I want to be present in life,” she says.

Over the last three years, Sharon has lost more than 10 stone. She has adopted a dog, and the two now enjoy long walks together - something she never imagined she could do before losing weight.

When asked how she’s managed to stay on track, Sharon’s answer is simple: “My group. They’re my second family. I only have to reach out and someone is there with advice or support - even members from other Slimming World groups.”

Her advice to anyone thinking about joining? “Take all the support, love and help that’s offered. You will become the person you want to be. If my journey inspires just one person to walk through those doors and meet their new family, then sharing my story is worth it.”

Sharon is a member of Bryan Collins’ Thursday evening Slimming World group, which runs at 5pm and 6:30pm at Llanfaes Church Hall.