A 20-stone mum who delayed her wedding for 14 years because she was too ashamed to waddle down the aisle has finally tied the knot – after shedding HALF her body weight.
Faye Martin, 39, got engaged in 2004 but made excuses to delay the date until a stranger calling her a “fat b***h” in Primark in 2012 shocked her into action.
The medical receptionist realised she would never live out her dream of a big white wedding unless she got into shape – and quickly.
After joining Slimming World Faye shrunk down to 11st and went from a size 26 to a slender size 10, but her dramatic weight loss had left her with excess skin.
Determined to get the figure she wanted for her big day Faye had two and a half pounds of excess flab removed from her tummy on the NHS.
And in July this year the mum-of-two finally said ‘I do’ to a delighted Kevin, 41, wearing a beautiful white strapless corseted gown.
Faye, from Bristol, says: “I always knew I had the man of my dreams but not the body.
“I thought I’d look like a giant meringue in a size 26 white dress so I made excuses to postpone the wedding.
“We never pinned down a date and the years just passed by and nothing ever changed. I knew I was big but I never saw any point in losing weight.
“Kevin would always tell me I was beautiful whatever my size. We were so happy that I didn’t feel the need to change.
“But deep down, I did want to get married – and Kevin knows how much having the perfect day meant to me. He’s been so supportive over the years.
“It was only after a woman was rude to me when I was clothes shopping back in 2012 that I thought, ‘It’s now or never.’
“There have been tears and tantrums along the way but I can finally say I’m happy with my figure and I found the perfect dress for my wedding.
“We had the most amazing day. I felt a million dollars in my dress and for once I didn’t mind being the centre of attention.
“To feel like that made all my hard work worth it.”
Faye was a size 12 when she met Kevin in 1994 but her weight crept up and 10 years later, when he proposed, she was already wearing a size 20.
She said: “I would munch on biscuits and chocolate all day and order greasy takeaways for tea.
“I developed a sugar addiction and would down four cans of full fat coke every day.
“When Kevin proposed – he got down on one knee in a packed restaurant full of our friends and family – I screamed yes, straight away and without hesitation.
“I love Kevin and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, but when the celebrations died down and I started to picture myself waddling down the aisle in a big white dress with all eyes on me, I was filled with dread rather than excitement.”
Over the next few years Faye gave birth to Imogen, now 14, and Kalston, now 12, and the weight continued to pile on until she reached 20st.
But when Faye was shopping in Primark she was given a very rude wake-up call from a cruel stranger who called her a ‘fat b*tch’.
She said: “The lady said it so loudly that people around me turned round to stare. I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.
“As mortifying as it was it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“When I got home I looked in the mirror and thought I’m not happy with how I look, I can’t carry on being miserable or I’ll never get married.”
Faye signed up to Slimming World and dropped nine stone and eight dress sizes in 18 months, but she was left with baggy skin around her middle.
“It looked disgusting,” she added.
“I would try to tuck it in my trousers to disguise it, but I was constantly paranoid other people could see.
Faye went under the knife last November at Southmead Hospital in Bristol where she had two and a half pounds of skin removed and got married in July.
She said: “It’s given me my confidence back and I was able to choose a gorgeous corseted dress that I’d never have fit into before.
“As soon as I slipped it on I knew it was the one. I never imagined I would ever feel like that about a wedding dress.
“In July this year, I finally walked down the aisle, 14 years after Kevin first proposed. After waiting so long we managed to organise the day in a matter of months.
“We had an incredible day. It was everything I’d hoped it would be and more.
“When Kevin saw me walking down the aisle he was beaming back at me. I could tell he was blown away and that made me feel wonderful.”
Kevin, a regional sales manager, said: “When I saw Faye walk down the aisle I just thought ‘wow’. She looked so slim and so beautiful.
“Faye’s weight has been a big issue for her over the years and I know she worked so hard to get that point and it all paid off to see her so happy.
“I’m so proud of her, she achieved everything she set out to and we had the most perfect day.”
