'I was in vicious cycle before two things happened and I lost 14st'

A mum who tipped the scales at nearly 27 stone (171.4kg) has shed more than half her body weight after a devastating house fire and her sister's tragic death helped her see life differently. Sharon Pitkethly, 54, a full-time carer standing 5ft 11in tall, hit her peak weight of 26st 12lb (170.5kg) and squeezed into size 32 clothing back in 2015, finding herself caught in a "vicious cycle" of depression, anxiety and comfort eating.

That very same year, flames engulfed her home, and while she escaped unharmed, she revealed the terrifying ordeal gave her a fresh perspective on life and motivated her to transform her lifestyle. Throughout the next eight years, she dropped seven stone 4lb (46.2kg) with WeightWatchers, though she frequently returned to previous patterns, including excessive nibbling, and found it challenging to maintain consistency.

Following her sister's heartbreaking passing in 2023, Sharon pledged to pay tribute to her memory by fully dedicating herself to her slimming mission – and since that moment, through WeightWatchers, she has lost another 6st 8lb (41.7kg), making a total of just under 14st, and completely overhauled her eating habits and now enjoys regular swimming sessions. She currently weighs 13st (82.5kg), fits into size 16 garments, and described feeling like a "new person" brimming with fresh confidence.

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Sharon, a Newcastle resident living with her husband Dean, 60, said: "Every time I look in the mirror I see my sister, and I have lost her, but she's still there. If I'm ever tempted to go off track, I think of her and since I've lost weight, I look more like her too – her daughter has told me that they look like their mum. I've done it for her ... and I know she'd be proud of me."

Around 2015, Sharon tipped the scales at her heaviest, a staggering 26st 12lb (170.5kg), squeezing into size 32 clothes and grappling with a severely obese BMI of 52.4. For most of her adult life, she had hovered around 23st (146kg).

Despite joining WeightWatchers groups intermittently over the years, she always found herself slipping back into old habits. She also battled depression and social anxiety, describing it as a "vicious circle".

She said: "The more I got anxious, the more I got depressed, the more I ate, so then I would cry and lose weight, and then I wouldn't feel very well, or something would happen, and then I would be straight back off the diet. I'd be on for six months, off for three, and I kept putting more and more weight on each time."

When not adhering to her WeightWatchers eating plan, Sharon's typical daily diet consisted of four buttered crumpets for breakfast, crisps for a mid-morning snack, two sandwiches and crisps for lunch, and a "huge portion" of Bolognese for dinner, rounded off with more crisps and chocolate in the evening.

"I felt like I let my children down – we went to Alton Towers and Chessington and things but I couldn't go on the rides," Sharon added. "I wouldn't be in any photos, I didn't want to go out for meals as a family, it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been for them."

Later that year, Sharon's life was put into perspective and she decided she wanted to make "serious changes" to her lifestyle. On September 15, 2015, her home caught fire at around 10am, as confirmed by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service. She believed the fire was caused by a tumble dryer, resulting in £200,000 worth of damage.

She recalled: "I came back from the school run and smelled smoke – I had a utility room and thought 'something isn't right'. There was smoke coming out of the dryer and it caught fire, and I just had this beautiful new kitchen, and I opened the back door thinking it would get the smoke out, but it inflamed it. It was a ditsy moment, but the whole house was damaged from the fire and smoke."

While she couldn't rescue certain treasured family mementos, including photograph albums, she remained grateful that her husband and children were unharmed and away from the property at the time. During the months that followed the blaze, her anxiety deteriorated, and she believed that rejoining WeightWatchers and concentrating on her wellbeing would offer a vital distraction.

Over the following eight years, Sharon's weight fluctuated as she struggled to stick to her plan. However, by the close of 2023, she had managed to shed an impressive 7st 4lb (46.2kg), dropping four dress sizes and weighing in at 19st 8lb (124.2kg) with an obese BMI of 38.2.

"I was pleased with myself that I managed to get to that and to stay there for a while," Sharon added. "It took a long time because I just wasn't focused and I let myself slip. I knew I needed to lose more, but I just fell off."

In 2023, tragedy struck when her sister, Kaleena, passed away at just 45. This spurred Sharon on to lose even more weight in honour of her sister, prompting her to join a new WeightWatchers group.

She said: "On the day she died, I promised her it'd be different this time and lose the weight. I thought I can't let my mum lose another daughter because she just wasn't getting over this and my family needed us. So I thought, 'right, just do it'."

Since then, thanks to WeightWatchers, she has lost an additional 6st 8lb (41.7kg), bringing her current weight down to 13st (82.5kg), with an overweight BMI of 25.4.

"WeightWatchers has been amazing – I always knew it worked, I just struggled sticking to it, but that was my fault," Sharon said. "The support there is brilliant, everyone is in the same position as you, and I don't think I could have done it otherwise."

Her daily meals now consist of options such as eggs with low-fat mayonnaise, lettuce and bread thins for breakfast, a protein yoghurt with fruit for lunch and chicken with vegetables for dinner. She no longer feels the need to eat until she is uncomfortably full or snack mindlessly throughout the day.

She added: "I did go back to Alton Towers, and went on the roller coaster, and I wasn't even bothered about the ride! I've started swimming and love it, and going to the gym, I never thought I'd be doing that. I feel like a new person, I'm much more confident."

Sharon would encourage others to try WeightWatchers, as it has completely transformed her life.

She said: "It's the best thing I've ever done, I wish I stuck at it years ago and would recommend it to anyone. You can do it, be kind to yourself, and be consistent."