A super-slimming mum who weighed more than 25 stone shed half her bodyweight to complete her lifelong ambition – of SKYDIVING.
Debbie Allmark, 35, tipped the scales at a hefty 26 stone at her heaviest and was stopped from going on some rides at Disney World in Florida on a family holiday in 2013.
The mum-of-two was also left humiliated in 2012 after a rollercoaster at Alton Towers Resort stopped whilst she was on it because of her bulky frame.
Debbie eventually decided to fight her flab when she discovered she was too porky to complete her lifelong ambition of completing a skydive.
Incredibly, the pawnbroker lost half of her bodyweight in less than two years and now weighs a healthy 13 stone.
And Debbie was finally able to complete her dream skydive when she took to the skies at Tilstock Airfield, near Whitchurch, Shrops., on May 16 to fulfil her dream as her family watched from the ground.
It took the mum 15 minutes to fall 10,000 feet (3,048m) from the plane and she said she was overwhelmed with the views across the idyllic Shropshire countryside.
Debbie, from Biddulph, Staffs., added: “We were at Alton Towers in the summer of 2012. The ride got stopped as my bars were not locked.
“I was too big and had to leave the ride. It was humiliating.
“The ride made me more humiliated and devastated about my weight. That was a huge catalyst.
“I’d always wanted to do a skydive as well. It was my life ambition to do one.
“But when I looked into it, I found out you need to be up to 13 stone to take part. I was devastated.
“I was very excited. I have been looking forward to it for a while so I was excited and calm.
“It was amazing. It was such a rush. I loved every minute of it. The whole thing was excellent.”
“It was better than I had ever hoped. Everything ran so smoothly.
“I was just blown away by it all. It was a fantastic experience.
“The scenery was great so I was just admiring that for most of it actually.
“The weather was lovely. It was a very sunny day so you could see for miles.”
Debbie also used the skydive to raise £1,500 for the North Staffordshire Heart Committee, which provided care for her mum Lilian Lovatt, who tragically passed away in 2009 from heart failure at the age of 66.
Her sister, Dawn Adey, 47, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs., said: “It is such a fantastic achievement. We’re all really proud of her and she has been an inspiration to the whole family.
“At her lowest points, she kept saying she couldn’t do it, but we all encouraged her to get off the settee and get moving.
“At first she just started walking, but then she began doing more and more.
“I love her so much and it is amazing. Mum cared for all of us and it means a lot to us that Debbie has done with her in mind.”
