A bride has shed six stone to walk down the aisle in the wedding dress of her dreams, and has since been inspired to start a weight loss group in Stevenage.

At her heaviest, Karena wore a 30 dress size, and she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during her third pregnancy.

Living in leggings and baggy T-shirts, Karena was shocked when her nan died from a diabetic-related illness.

"Nothing in my past had shocked me into wanting to lose weight more than that moment," she said. "I didn’t want to be at greater risk of diabetes once my baby was born."

Karena was a size 30 at her heaviest.Karena was a size 30 at her heaviest. (Image: Courtesy of Slimming World)Once her baby was born, Karena joined a Slimming World group and went on to lose 10 stone.

She said: "The life and confidence I gained was incredible. I stopped driving the short distance to my group and began to walk, I joined a Zumba and tap dancing group, and then I joined a running club. I had never been sporty my whole life, but here I was running 5km in under 30 minutes."

Karena successfully maintained her 10 stone loss for five years, but in 2018 left Slimming World after separating from her husband. 

In the following year, she piled on seven stone.

"I felt awful ," she said. "I had binged my way through my feelings of navigating life as a single mum."

During lockdown, Karena met Craig, who she describes as her "knight in shining armour".

She said: "Having someone love me made me realise I was worth something, and when he asked me to marry him in 2022 I knew I didn’t want to be a fat bride again."

So, navigating the menopause as well, Karena re-joined Slimming World and has now lost six stone - walking down the aisle in a size 12 dress in the summer.

She is now determined to reach her seven stone target for her 50th birthday next month.

Karena wore a size 12 wedding dress.Karena wore a size 12 wedding dress. (Image: Courtesy of Slimming World)

Karena has also started training as a Slimming World consultant and has relaunched an existing group in Stevenage. 

She said: "There’s no reason to struggle alone, or risk trying a quick fix only to be disappointed."

You can join Karena's group at 4pm and 5.30pm every Thursday at St Peter's Community Hall in Broadwater Crescent. For more information, call Karena on 07985 199434.