‘I FOUND MY HUBBY A NEW WOMAN’
SUZANNE HELPED HER EX LOSE 152KG – AND THEN FOUND HIM A NEW GIRLFRIEND!
Watching in horror as her exhusband ballooned to over 250kg, Suzanne Mcdonald-sharp, 37, went the extra mile to help him find love again …
Super-slimmer Neil Sharp weighed 254kg before Suzanne stepped in and saved his life, quite literally.
After reaching out to Suzanne – who had lost 50kg – suicidal Neil was desperate to drop the weight.
And thanks to his ex-wife, Neil managed to drop 152kg and she even set him up with his new girlfriend.
“After Neil’s worrying text, which stated that his life seemed worthless, I knew I had to step in and help,” the mother of two tells New Idea.
“I barely recognised him; he’d gained so much weight in eight years after we’d split up in 2010.
“We started his weight-loss journey by going swimming each week and he began cutting down on the junk food.”
Suzanne and Neil were married for just 11 months before they decided to go their separate ways.
They had been together for 10 years beforehand but their sex life had fizzled out and they’d become just friends.
“At 27, I was ready to marry my prince charming, but not everyone was convinced,” Suzanne explains.
“My mum, Elaine, 56, would often question, whether we were more like best mates than anything else, but I turned a blind eye for years.”
Suzanne went on the meet her new partner, Kevin, but Neil struggled to find love.
“My new relationship was amazing as I’d finally found the spark that was missing between me and Neil and four years later I fell pregnant for the first time,” she reveals.
“But due to our lavish dates and holidays, by the time I’d given birth to our daughter, Arabella, now 5,
I’d gained 50 kilos.
“I barely recognised myself in the mirror.”
After joining The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan in 2017, Suzanne lost 50kg in 12 months.
Her weight fell from 119kg to 69kg.
Showcasing her results online, Suzanne decided to train to become a consultant to help others reach their goals.
“It was March 2018 that I began coaching Neil. I had to consult dietitians before he could start the diet as he weighed too much for any scales to measure.
“By July 2018, Neil had lost 31 kilos and was finally able to join the Cambridge diet.
“We were finally able to weigh him too as he was no longer off the Richter scale; he was shocked that his starting weight was over 242 kilos,” Suzanne says.
As the months passed and with Neil sticking to his diet plan, Suzanne began documenting his weight loss on her Instagram page.
“Neil loved seeing his weight loss being documented online as he could see how far he’d come, he was finally feeling happy in his own skin again,” Suzanne smiles.
“And that’s when Neil confessed that he had planned to kill himself before he reached out to me as he felt depressed before shredding the pounds.
“I couldn’t believe it and I was so relieved I helped him through such a dark time.”
But if saving Neil’s life wasn’t enough, Suzanne went one step further to help secure his happiness.
“In October 2018, I got a message from someone called
Audrey Wylie – she was asking to join my Cambridge Weight Plan group.
“After meeting her in person a few days later, she mentioned Neil and how she’d seen his amazing results.
“At this point I had no idea they were also chatting on the Plenty of Fish dating app, so I went on to tell her that he wasn’t just a slimmer and that he was in fact my ex-husband too.
“I was laughing as I told her but it wasn’t until I added her to our Whatsapp group that Neil then revealed they’d been chatting online.”
Suzanne realised she had to play matchmaker and rang Audrey to ensure she knew she had Suzanne’s go-ahead.
“I needed to tell her that despite him being my ex, she should pursue their romance,” she says.
“I told her that he was such a good guy and that I hoped they’d make things work as he’s like my bestie.”
Audrey had been through a tough time with ex-partners, but as Suzanne and Neil were still good friends, she knew she could trust him.
It took a few months before they finally went on their first date but Audrey, 35, and Neil quickly became inseparable.
By November 2019, Neil had lost 152kg in total and weighed 92kg.
He looked unrecognisable and could fit his entire body in just one of his trouser legs of his old XXXL clothes thanks to all of Suzanne’s help.
“I’ve since gone back on the weight-loss plan myself after giving birth seven months ago to my son, Thomson,” Suzanne says.
“I do get some funny looks when I tell people that I set up my ex-husband with his new girlfriend, but I think it’s amazing.
“Me and Neil are still married at the moment but we’ll organise a divorce at some point as I’m sure Audrey would love to settle down.”
Neil adds: “I didn’t think I would be in a relationship so soon after losing some weight, but I instantly took a shine to Audrey. She was really nice.
“It’s obviously really odd-sounding to some people when I say my ex-wife helped me find a new girlfriend, but that’s what happened, and I’m happy that it did.”