Chanelle: “I couldn’t look in the mirror – now I feel confident again”
Mum-of-two Chanelle Hayes is finally happy in her own skin after reaching her target weight loss following years of yo-yoing
She’s spent years battling with her weight, but Chanelle Hayes is celebrating after dropping four dress sizes, saying, “I have finally made it!”
The mum-of-two last week revealed that she’s gone from a size 18, weighing 17st 4lbs, to a healthy size 10 and 9st 10lbs.
Proudly showing off her svelte figure in a midi skirt and strappy top, Chanelle, 33, wrote, “I still get nervous around my reflection in case I see the unhappy person I was before.
“I still get under-boob chafing, but I feel so proud to post myself looking and feeling confident and healthy again.”
MENTAL HEALTH
The 5ft 4 reality star insisted her weight loss isn’t all about appearance, but her mental health, too. “My weight and addiction to food have held me back for so many years,” she said. “I have to pinch myself when I remember I am healthy again and can fit into clothes without a crying episode in the changing rooms.
“Even though I’ve lost weight, I’ve grown as a person. Going through this experience has really given me a better understanding of private struggles and how easy it is to hide them.”
Her fans have praised her transformation, with one writing, “You look phenomenal and so much happier.”
Chanelle underwent a gastric sleeve in 2019, after suffering from a series of health problems, including high blood pressure and shortness of breath.
COMFORT EATING
The keyhole surgery involved cutting and stapling her stomach, reducing its capacity from “a bag of sugar to a sausage”.
Chanelle – who is now training to be a nurse – has been open about her food and weight struggles. She starred in Big Brother in 2007 as a Posh Spice lookalike, and was a slim size 6, but after suffering depression soon after her split from footballer boyfriend Matthew Bates – dad to her eldest son Blakeley, now 10 – she went up to a size 16.
She was that size again in 2016, and during a shoot with Closer (above) she revealed doctors had told her she was on the cusp of developing type 2 diabetes, while her extra weight was causing back pain.
Later that year, she released a workout DVD and dropped to a size 8, before meeting PE teacher Ryan Oates. But after their split in 2019, she turned to food and “living like a hermit” to cope, soon reaching a size 18.
Now Chanelle – who has found love again with accountant Dan Bingham – says she couldn’t be happier.
Speaking of her confidence journey, she said, “I feel proud to exercise and improve my body after all the junk I’ve been feeding it all these years.
“I don’t remember ever being this happy or content with where my life is going.”