Alison Braun
Still 50kg lighter, the Biggest Loser runner-up has plenty to smile about!
The Biggest Loser runner-up 10 years on
It’s been 10 years since she went on The Biggest Loser and despite a decade of hardships, Alison Braun has never been happier – and may even be ready to walk down the aisle again!
“You never get to pick and choose what comes your way in life, however you do get to choose how you will allow it to define you,” says Alison, who now weighs a healthy 72kg.
“Ten years on from that first day in lycra at 121kg, I stand here bursting with gratitude for all that has come my way.”
The 44-year-old stunned Australia when she shed more than 55kg to be runner-up on the reality show. Then, in a tragic turn of events, six months later, her husband of 14 years, Robert, took his own life after a long battle with depression.
“It was really tough to explain to the kids why their daddy had died but I wasn’t going to allow that illness to take more than one life,” recalls Alison, who has three children – Jaydon, 26, Bethany, 18, and Isabella, 14.
Determined to make a difference, she become an ambassador for Lifeline WA, working tirelessly to break down the stigma of mental illness.
And she recently celebrated her 10-year Biggest Loser anniversary over an intimate dinner with her new soulmate Alan Taylor, 52.
“Before Alan, I resigned myself that I probably wouldn’t get in a relationship again until the kids had grown up and left home, so this really wonderful thing happened when he came along and took me by surprise,” she says. “Two years on and we’re still like teenagers!”
As for marriage… “I always said I would never get married again but I have certainly taken that out of the vocabulary since meeting Alan,” she laughs.
“I never thought I would get to this point in my life,” she adds. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been!”
‘This really wonderful thing happened when he came along’