Glam granny: “I lost 14st – now I get mistaken for Pammy!”
At 26st Natalie King felt frumpy and miserable, but a health kick and surgery makeover has given the grandmother a new lease of life – and now she even gets compared to Pamela Anderson
When Natalie King posts a picture W on her Instagram page, she always gets several comments on how much she looks like Hollywood bombshell Pamela Anderson. And with her long blonde hair, ample cleavage and curvy figure, it’s easy to see why.
Natalie, a 49-year-old hairdresser from Newquay, Cornwall, is flattered by the comparison, especially as she used to weigh over 26st and felt frumpy and miserable.
Mum-of-six Natalie says, “At my biggest in 2010, I weighed 26st 6lbs and was a size 28. I struggled to walk as I’d get so out of breath. I was miserable and felt too embarrassed to leave the house.”
But Natalie completely transformed her look after shedding over 14st following the Slimming World plan, and then spent £7,000 of her savings on a boob job, blonde highlights, Botox and lip and cheek fillers.
Natalie, who is a grandmother of four, says, “I feel so much more confident now. My personality has completely changed, I’m brighter and more energetic. I’m often compared to Pamela, and I love it – it’s so flattering as Pammy is gorgeous. I’m so much happier than I was before. At 49, I really feel like my life has just begun.”
EMBARRASSED
In her teens, Natalie was a size 12 and, thanks to her 5ft 10 height, she did modelling work. But when her first baby came along when she was just 18, Natalie put on 2st during her pregnancy, which she struggled to shift afterwards. And when she had another two children in the following years, the weight gain continued.
She recalls, “By the time my third baby was born in 1993, I weighed at least 16st. While I cooked healthy food for the kids, I survived on takeaways and fried food. I’d have creamy Indian curries with chips for dinner and I’d snack on packets of crisps and chocolate throughout the day.
“My husband always told me I looked beautiful and that I didn’t need to lose weight. I didn’t believe him, but as a busy mum, I had no time to think about myself and getting into shape. I couldn’t buy clothes on the high street, so I ordered stretchy leggings and T-shirts online in a size 28. I mainly wore black in the hope I’d fade into the background.”
Natalie tried several crash diets over the years, but they were never successful.
She says, “Each time I’d lose a stone, but then I’d get bored and start eating badly again. By the time my youngest was born in 2010, I had ballooned to 26st 6lbs. My hairdressing work dried up as I couldn’t go out and I was constantly out of breath, I had no energy to do anything with the kids.
HEALTH PROBLEMS
“By 2015, I was suffering from kidney stones and liver problems. My doctor said I was morbidly obese and needed to lose weight for the sake of my health. He added that
I could have a gastric band, but I needed to lose 3st before the operation as I was too big for it.”
Natalie signed up to Slimming World in 2015, after being inspired by her friend Stacey Berry, who had lost 8st. She learned to replace her takeaways and chocolate treats with healthier options, including chicken and veg for dinner, and she snacked on fruit.
She says, “In the first month, I lost 2st 7lbs. I felt amazing and my kids were so proud. I knew then that I didn’t need the gastric band – I’d be able to do it myself.”
Over the next 17 months, Natalie lost a further 12st 7lbs, through healthy eating, without exercising, taking her weight down to 12st and a size 12.
She says, “My health problems cleared up and I could finally stop dressing in baggy T-shirts and leggings, and treat myself to skirts and dresses.”
Determined to look nothing like the old her, Natalie dyed her hair blonde and began wearing make-up for the first time in years.
She says, “I was really lucky that I wasn’t left with excess skin, but my boobs were saggy and I wanted perkier ones to suit my new shape and look. So in 2016, I used my savings to pay for a £4,500 boob job, going from a Dd-cup to a G. I went for the biggest implant you could get in the UK without having them specially made, as I had so much saggy skin on my boobs to fill. I absolutely love them. They’re in proportion to my tall frame and I love how they complement my slim waist.”
CONFIDENCE
To complete her new look, Natalie spent £3,000 to have Botox in her forehead, along with lip and cheek fillers.
She explains, “I like to keep myself looking young. And it works, because people usually assume I’m 20 years younger than I am! I get a lot of attention in the street, people often do a double take when I walk by. I used to worry about being stared at for being fat, now I’m looked at for the right reasons! I have so much more confidence now, I even wore a bikini on holiday, something I’d never dreamed of doing before.
“Not long after my boob job, someone came up to me in a bar and told me I looked just like Pamela Anderson. Now, it happens a lot and I’m always getting comments like “You could be twins with Pam,” when I post pictures of myself on Instagram. It’s such a lovely compliment and I do love looking like her – but mostly, I’m just glad I look nothing like the old me. My husband tells me I look amazing, too.”
Natalie says she is enjoying her new lease of life and has even started glamour modelling. She says, “I get offers from agencies and photographers all the time, but I’m just doing the odd job at the moment alongside my hairdressing.
“My family say I’m a completely different person because I’m so much more outgoing. My kids are really proud of me and find it hilarious that I’m compared to a celebrity. But they’ve warned me not to go too far with the Botox and fillers.
“I love how I look now and will never go back to the frumpy, overweight person I was before.” Follow Natalie on Instagram at @blondebabeuk
❛PEOPLE THINK I LOOK 20 YEARS YOUNGER – I’VE EVEN HAD MODELLING OFFERS❜