Mother-of-one wins slimming title

Gail Potts hugs a poster cut-out of her former self

A woman who was told she was too fat to conceive has won a slimming contest - and hopes her weight loss will help her have another baby.

Gail Potts, who weighed 19st 1lb (121kg) in February 2005, has lost 9st 9lb (61 kg).

She was also told a weight-related hormone imbalance was affecting her chances of having further children.

The 34-year-old from Ashbourne in Derbyshire said: "I just feel a completely different person."

She added: "I was so unhealthy this time last year.

"I had high blood pressure, got sores under my stomach and my boobs, my knees creaked when I walked upstairs, I had back problems, my periods had stopped - I was just totally unhealthy.

My periods had stopped, so there was no way I was going to get pregnant Gail Potts

"I was just tired of it all, tired of being me."

Nicknamed Gail the Whale at school, she was inspired to diet by a combination of reading about last year's title-holder and not being able to take her son Harry on rides when they visited Disneyland in January last year.

"My parents had to take him for me, and that upset me because I couldn't do that with him," she said.

She picked up the Rosemary Conley Diet & Fitness Magazine's Slimmer of the Year 2006 title, together with a cheque for £2,000 for her efforts.

A diagnosis by the hospital of a weight-related problem which affected her fertility, she said, "made me more determined".

"I wanted to have a sister for Harry. My periods had stopped, so there was no way I was going to get pregnant."

'New wife'

She tackled her fondness for takeaways and chocolate and replaced them with low-fat fare.

Her hips have shrunk from 57in to 37in, while her bust has reduced from 54in to 36in.

She said: "My cycle is back to normal, so what will be, will be".

Her husband Dave - who she said thinks her weight loss is "fantastic - he has got a new wife" - has also lost 1st 7lb (10kg) under the family's new healthy eating regime.

Mrs Potts now plans to spend her winnings on a spa break for herself and her mother, a trip with her son to Legoland, and a party for friends, complete with low-fat buffet.