I ballooned to 20st after falling in love with my BF – then we split, I lost 9st in a year and now I'm a beauty queen

The Sun

20-07-2025

LIKE many women, Harriet Southan started gaining weight when she fell in love with her first boyfriend.
The couple loved nothing more than snuggling up on the sofa with a takeaway, and trying new restaurants together every week.
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But even after the pair broke up, Harriet, from Worcestershire, continued to pile on the pounds.
Whether she was stressed, happy or even just bored, she simply couldn't stop eating.
It wasn't until a brutal wake-up call in her late 20s - when she clocked 20st 5lbs (129kg) - that Harriet realised something had to change.
She has since lost almost half her body weight and is now a slender size 10.
Here, Harriet, 31, the sister of Big Brother star Henry Southan and who is rumoured to have dated Married At First Sight 's Orson Nurse, tells her story…
STANDING in front of the fridge, I pulled out a big bar of Cadbury chocolate.
'Perfect,' I thought, heading back to cuddle up on the sofa with my boyfriend and gorge.
Aged 17, we'd recently become official, and were in the honeymoon phase.
Our evenings and weekends were spent going out for meals, having takeaways and snacking in front of the telly.
Over time, I put on weight.
I'm a 'former fatty' who lost 12 stone WITHOUT jabs - being slim means I don't have to eat in the car to avoid judgement
'You're just in love,' my mum, Suzy, reassured me. 'Everyone puts on a bit when they get into a relationship.'
But three years on, when me and my fella broke up, my unhealthy eating continued.
I ate on-the-go at work at a call centre.
I'd wolf down pre-made BLT sandwiches and packets of Monster Munch, and guzzle Coca-Cola.
Then, I started binge eating too.
I ate to manage any emotion – if I was stressed, happy or even just bored, I'd snack.
Living at home, I hid family-sized packs of treats in my room, then secretly disposed of the wrappers so no one was any the wiser.
But I was only kidding myself. And my expanding waistline started to get me down.
I started hiding away and friends had to force me to socialise.
'Why don't you try a slimming club again?' pals suggested when I complained about my weight.
So, I went to my local group and after months of counting calories, the pounds did fall off.
But just as quickly, they piled back on - and then some.
My real downfall was crisps - I simply couldn't stop snacking on them.
Wanting to hide, I filled my wardrobe with dark, baggy t-shirts in bold prints to distract from my size.
Soon, I was 20st 5lbs and a size 18. It was the biggest I'd ever been.
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One day, my mum was going through some pictures of me she'd taken recently.
'Look at you and the dog,' she said. 'Is that me?' I gasped in horror. Mum nodded.
'I didn't realise I looked like that,' I said, horrified.
In the photo, I couldn't focus on the dog; I could only see how big I looked.
That evening, I examined my reflection. 'I don't even recognise myself,' I thought.
I'd been in denial, but the reality of my size suddenly hit me like a tonne of bricks.
TURNING POINT
'I need to do something,' I told mum.
It wasn't just for me. My little boy, Freddie, was growing up and I wanted to be a fun mum for him.
I wanted to find something more sustainable than weight loss groups, that forced me to change my lifestyle completely.
While looking online, I came across a company called Tonic Surgery, which offered gastric sleeves. The surgery would remove 85 per cent of my stomach.
I did lots of research before having a consultation with a surgeon.
It seemed safe and the before and after results of other patients were incredible.
Before I knew it, I'd booked the operation for just four weeks' time.
It cost £11,000, but luckily I had savings and some money left by a relative to use up.
To me, investing in my health was priceless. And thankfully, my parents were so supportive.
'I'm proud of you for making a change,' mum said.
They both knew how badly my weight was impacting me, physically and mentally.
In the weeks leading up to the surgery, I followed a liver reduction diet, which was tough.
The low-fat, low-carbohydrate way of eating, which reduces the body's glycogen stores (a form of sugar stored in the liver and muscles for energy), was to help my liver shrink to make the surgery easier.
But whenever I was struggling, I thought about the life I'd be able to lead after the procedure.
I thought about the summer and sitting in the garden, going out places and having fun.
I thought about summers playing football with Freddie and being able to run around after him.
I even set up a TikTok account to track my progress.
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On the day of the surgery, nerves coursed through me.
'This is for my future,' I repeated in my head.
When mum dropped me off at the hospital, I gave her a huge hug.
'I'll be right here waiting for you,' she reassured me. 'You'll be fine.'
Just 45 minutes later, I came round to the sound of beeping machines and a slight pain across my stomach.
But as my eyes adjusted, a smile formed on my lips. I'd just taken the first step into a whole new life.
'Everything's gone to plan,' my surgeon said.
The next day, I was allowed home, where I started my new regime.
Now, I weigh 11st and am so proud of how far I've come. Getting that gastric sleeve has given me a whole new lease of life
Harriet Southan
For the first few weeks, I was on a liquid diet of shakes before moving onto soft foods, like yoghurt.
Then finally, six weeks after surgery, I started introducing solids, like steamed salmon and veg.
My diet was protein heavy and I was amazed at how easily I adapted.
And the proof was in the (low-fat) pudding! Standing on my bathroom scales, I'd lost 2st, then 5st, then 9st.
Within 12 months, I looked and felt so much healthier. Better yet, now a size 10, I could nick clothes from my mum!
As I slipped into one of her pretty pink dresses, I did a little twirl.
'You look just fabulous,' mum gushed.
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It was amazing to go shopping and not have to worry about finding outfits that covered my arms and hid my stomach.
'How are you affording all these new clothes?' mum teased when I came home after a spree.
'I'm not buying takeaways anymore,' I joked.
As well as friends and family, my online followers were full of congratulations too.
'You've inspired me,' one wrote.
Tonic Surgery also contacted me to say they'd been so impressed by my journey that they wanted me to be an ambassador for them. I told them I'd love to.
As part of my role, I continued to share my progress online.
Then one day, the company shared a post about Miss Bariatric Beauty with me.
It was a beauty pageant for women who'd had weight loss surgery and they told me they thought I should enter.
Brimming with confidence, I thought, 'Why not?'
I signed up to be Miss Bariatric Worcestershire.
Since it's a weight loss pageant, I worried the focus would be on comparing how much everyone had lost. But when I spoke to the other contestants, I felt so welcomed.
'We want to celebrate how much confidence you've gained,' the founder explained at one of the meet-and-greets.
The pageant was made up of different stages, including a little black dress, swimwear, evening wear, an interview and a fun fashion round - where we were told to dress up to showcase our personality.
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I started searching for a dress and found a stunning pink number, complete with sequins and feathers.
'You'll knock them dead in that, love,' mum said.
And a few weeks later, I donned a beautiful emerald sequin gown to attend a content day hosted by the pageant.
It was a chance to meet other women like me and get to know the contestants. I even received my sash to compete in!
Now, I weigh 11st and am so proud of how far I've come.
Getting that gastric sleeve has given me a whole new lease of life.
Currently, I'm in full preparation mode for the pageant this November.
I'm going to the gym and have even been practising walking in heels!
Whatever happens, I feel unstoppable. I can't wait to strut my stuff on that stage and show everyone what I've lost – and what I've gained!
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