How a Cornish woman shed more than half her body weight to become a 'better mum'

• Watch as Carolann describes her weight-loss journey

A Cornish woman has described how she "got her life back" by shedding an incredible 12 stone.

Carolann Hicks, from Par, weighed 23 stone before she lost more than half her body weight through healthy eating and regular exercise with Slimming World.

She plans to run the London Marathon later this month and said her transformation had helped her become a better mum.

Carolann said: “Life was hard, it was really hard - at 23 stone, it was painful. Everything was hard work and my weight was such a barrier to everything I did in my life, physically and emotionally.

"Before, I struggled to walk up the stairs, I had to physically rock to get myself up off the sofa.

“I’ve tried to lose weight so many times, I’ve tried everything over the years, but it got really difficult for me and I just thought I needed to do something."

She added that this attempt was different because she "made it about [herself]" - but that didn't come naturally.

"It felt selfish to start off with - I’m a mum, work in the care industry, I’m always looking after everyone else. But I celebrated every little win - every pound I lost, every certificate I got.

"I’ve gone from being the mum who made every excuse not to go on the ride, who was always holding the coats and watching everyone else get involved, to now being first in line for the rollercoaster.

"I crossed the line on a rainbow run with my 15-year-old at the time, hand-in-hand, and that’s a memory I will always keep."

Carolann has definitely caught the running bug and she will tackle the London Marathon on 23 April, with her children watching on.

When asked for her advice to others hoping to lose weight, she said: "Don’t do it on your own, find your group and find your support and make the most of that, invest in yourself."