BRATTON’S Sally Veacock is encouraging those who are overweight and wanting to slim down to join her new Slimming World group in Warminster – after she overcame her own personal struggle.

The 46-year-old has lost two-and-a-half stone since last November after being told losing weight would reduce her chances of getting breast and ovarian cancer, which her family has a history of.

The mum-of-two said: “I’d previously been to a Slimming World group and lost four stone in 2009 but then my husband suffered a heart attack and that really knocked me quite hard as he was touch and go for a while, so the weight went back on.

“I decided to go back to the group because I needed to do something to reduce the risk of getting cancer as my family has a history and I was told losing weight would significantly reduce the risk.

“I went to the group with my mum because it was a confidence thing, I’d done it before but now I’d put the weight back on and you feel like a failure but the group was so welcoming.

“Now that I’ve lost weight and I’m participating in life again, it means I can go out there with my family and do activities.”

As well as significantly reducing her risk of getting cancer, Mrs Veacock suffers from Fibromyalgia – which causes pain and stiffness in the muscles – but which has also reduced and improved.

The foster carer will now become a Slimming World consultant at the end of July, holding sessions at the United Methodist Church, George Street, on Thursday mornings at 10am.

She said: “For anyone thinking of joining, I know how you feel that you think you might be humiliated.

“In the groups it’s such a caring atmosphere and this might sound a bit fluffy but it is like a family.

“Things do go wrong, some weeks you put weight on, but having that support makes a difference.”