Casualty star who lost 12 stone named Woman of the Year

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Before and after: Rebecca Wheatley has lost half her body weight

Rebecca Wheatley, who played receptionist Amy Howard, lost 12 stone and dropped from a size 32 to a size 12 in two years after being "ashamed" of how she looked in her wedding photos.

The 44-year-old said she was "honoured" to be named Woman of the Year today after managing to keep the weight off for two years.

Wheatley said she used to be the "ultimate unapologetic 'big girl"', making bold comments about her size, describing herself as the "deluxe model" and proclaiming the "big is beautiful" mantra.

"The turning point came when I had my son Freddie, who's now six, and got married," she said.

"I should have been happy, but seeing my wedding pictures was devastating.

"It took me two weeks to find the courage to open the beautiful wooden box containing the photographs, and when I did there wasn't a single one I wanted to show people.

"Despite all my bravado I was ashamed I'd let myself get so big."

Wheatley dropped from a 24 stone 6.5lb (156kg) size 32 to a 12st 5lb (77kg) size 12.

She said: "As the weight came off I discovered a whole new group of friends and support.

"I couldn't believe that even when I did have a gain there was no judgment or criticism, just support and reassurance for the fact that I'd gone a little astray but could get back on track.

"The evidence showed on the scales though, and
that was something that was completely in my control."

She said being named Woman of the Year was "a great honour".

"I hope that I'll be able to inspire anyone out there who's struggling with their weight to see that there is a healthy way to slim without starving yourself or feeling guilty or even resorting to surgery," she said.

"And it's possible to keep it off too."