A Colchester mum has lost more than seven stones to win the title of Slimming World’s Miss Slinky 2021.

Mum-of-three Tansy Arnett is a shadow of her former self after shedding the weight.

Tansy felt self-conscious about her size, suffered uncomfortable joint pain and found it difficult to keep up with her young son.

So she decided it was time to change - and she has now dropped from a size 22 to a size ten.

Tansy, 29, of Colchester, who works as a primary school learning support assistant, said she had struggled with her weight for as long as she can remember and used food and sugary drinks as a comfort.

She said: “I tried so many diets and they all resulted in me starving myself, becoming extremely unhealthy and then regaining the weight.

“Slimming World has helped me to break the awful habit of starving myself to lose weight, and encouraged me to eat a well-balanced and varied diet.”

She went to Highwoods Colchester Slimming World weighing 18 stones in November 2019.

“I was so nervous. I sat in that first group with a shaky, wobbly lip and my heart beating out of my chest,” Tansy said.

“Everyone was so lovely though. I was offered a drink straightaway and shown where to sit, and I was soon made to feel part of the family.

Slimming World Miss Slinky 2021 Tansy Arnett - Before 1

Slimming World Miss Slinky 2021 Tansy Arnett - Before 1

“Each week even while we’ve not been able to meet in person, we’ve come together virtually. The group is like a reset button.

“It’s great to know we’re eating healthy meals as a family as I know that I’m setting good habits for the kids for their future.”

Slimming World Miss Slinky 2021 Tansy Arnett - After

Slimming World Miss Slinky 2021 Tansy Arnett - After

Thanks to her active lifestyle including activities like trampolining and running, she now weighs 10st 11lbs, giving her enough energy to run around after her two 12-year-old twin boys Charlie and Keegan and two-year-old toddler Harry.

She says: “People ask if I feel like a new woman but I don’t, I feel like the person I always was on the inside. I used to feel trapped in my body but now I’m set free!”