Grieving Mansfield mum goes from 'losing everything to losing weight' as she turns life around

Cheryl Broughton, former landlady at the Black Bull, Woodhouse Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, said food has always been a huge part of her life.

She said: “From my late teens in London restaurants to my 40s running a catering business, I was surrounded with butter, double cream and all the other full-fat foods.

“Working in the catering industry takes a toll on your diet, it was hard to eat three proper meals a day or to find time to exercise.

“I’ve struggled with my weight all my life.”

It was late at night on February 3, 2017, when Cheryl’s life changed forever.

Two policemen knocked on the door of the Black Bull and informed Cheryl her 16-year old son Lewis had been in a road collision and killed instantly.

She said: “The following days and weeks merged into nothingness, as I arranged my son’s funeral and couldn’t think about anything else, let alone food.

“I was unable to keep anything down in those first few weeks, and so I was told ‘just eat whatever you can, whenever you fancy anything’, and that’s what I did.

“I ate cakes, biscuits, fried food, pizzas – my weight just didn’t matter anymore.”

And the heartbreak was far from over for Cheryl, as less than two years after losing Lewis, her mum passed away suddenly from a cardiac arrest.

“She was my best friend and closest support,” the 51-year-old said.

“My 20-year-old daughter was then also diagnosed with a life-changing neurological disorder. I thought I would lose her too.

“Throughout this, I found comfort in food and wine.”

But eventually, Cheryl realised so much had happened outside her control and decided to take back some of that control by focusing on her eating habits.

She tagged along to her local Slimming World group with a friend.

“I’ve now lost two-and-a-half stones and feel so much better in myself,” said Cheryl, who weighed 14 stones, but has slimmed down from a dress size 22-24 to 12-14.

Cheryl has now also become a Slimming World consultant herself and runs sessions on Mondays at St Lawrence’s Church Hall, Sandy Lane, Mansfield – see slimmingworld.co.uk