'I lost nine stone and now I can't wait to get photographed at my wedding'

A woman lost nine stone after seeing her engagement photos left her feeling "ashamed" and "embarrassed".

Bride-to-be Melissa Curran, 30, weighed 23st and struggled to squeeze into a size 28 at her biggest.

She had always struggled with her weight and even started going to Slimming World in primary school aged around 11. She had tried every diet and shake to no avail.

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Melissa had previously considered weight loss surgery, but after seeing her engagement photos she felt "embarrassed" and "ashamed" and decided to make a change.

She lost two stone herself before she flew to Istanbul, Turkey, and paid £2,700 for a gastric sleeve. She then shed a further seven stone in just nine months.

Now 14st and wearing size 16 clothes, Melissa feels "confident" and "comfortable" in herself and can't wait to be photographed when she ties the knot to her fiancée, Ross Mcavoy, 34, a factory worker, in October 2025.

Melissa, a document controller, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: "That was the final straw when I saw my engagement photos.

"I felt embarrassed. I felt ashamed. Seeing those photos I didn't want that as my wedding photos. Now I'm not terrified of photos anymore."

Melissa has struggled with her weight since she was a child.

She said: "I remember when I was in primary school and going to Slimming World. I tried everything under the sun. I would lose maybe a stone or two but it would stop working and then I'd pile it all back on and more."

Melissa used to eat around three takeaways a week and struggled with snacking, reaching for five cans of fizzy drinks a day and going through a multipack bag of crisps in one sitting.

But when Melissa saw the