A 55-year-old super slimmer from Whitland got along swimmingly with Olympian Mark Foster when she met him at the semi-finals of a competition to find the UK and Ireland’s top female slimmers.

Christine White was one of just 54 women to win a place at the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2016 competition after losing an impressive 9st 7.5lbs. It was there that she was congratulated by Mark, who is Britain’s most-decorated male swimmer and six-time world champion.

Christine, who slimmed from 19st 11lbs to 10st 3.5lbs, made it to the semi-finals after members at her Whitland group voted for her to be their representitive for the national Woman of the Year competition. She then went on to win her regional heat, which put her in the running to win the overall title of Woman of the Year 2016 and a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Mexico.

She said “I’d tried and failed to lose weight so many times that I honestly thought that I was destined to be overweight forever. Before Slimming World, I always found myself feeling deprived, hungry and miserable when I tried to lose weight. Slimming World completely opened my eyes to a totally new way of eating. The changes I’ve made were so simple that I actually barely noticed them - little things like switching white bread for wholemeal and using low-calorie cooking spray instead of lots of oil. I did notice the change on the scales though - my first loss was 5.5lbs! I couldn’t believe it because I’d felt so full and satisfied.

“What made it even easier was the fact that everyone could eat the same meals. Family favourites like spaghetti bolognaise, chicken tikka masala and even chips were all on the menu. Nobody even noticed that their favourite dishes were getting a healthy makeover! I lost all of my weight through healthy eating as I sustained long-term injuries afrer a car accident, which left me unable to do any exercise at all. As a single parent I needed to be there for my children, so making sure I’m as healthy as I can be is really important. Slimming World has completely changed my life.”

Mark, who since retiring from swimming has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and now has a successful presenting career, was blown away by Christine’s transformation.

He said: “It was a real pleasure to meet Christine and chat to her about her weight loss. As an athlete I know how important health and fitness is for your general wellbeing, so I think it’s incredible to hear how these remarkable women have turned their lives around. I wouldn’t like to be one of the judges because they’re all winners in my book!”

Enfys Davies, who runs the Whitland group that Christine attends, said: “Christine is such an inspiration to everyone in our group. While she has lost weight she’s grown in so many other ways - her confidence, her happiness and her zest for life. It’s been a pleasure to share in her journey, I couldn’t be more proud of her and I know the Whitland group all feel the same way. She’s blossomed into a beautiful woman, both inside and out.

“Christine inspires people in group every week. If she’s inspired anyone else in Whitland who’d like to lose weight, they’re more than welcome to join our group at Whitland Dairy Sports Social or call me on 01994 230525.”

Unfortunately Christine didn’t make the final of the competition. The overall winner of Slimming World Woman of the Year 2016 will be announced next month.