A DARWEN woman who dropped three dress sizes through attending a slimming club will open her own on New Year’s Eve.

Xiana Fowles, 24, will open the doors to her Slimming World group next Wednesday. It comes after months of hard work saw her overcome a health problem and shift 2st.

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A few months ago, Xiana saw her weight rise to 13st 6lb — and she began to suffer from severe gall-bladder problems. She said she tried exercise but it did not work and she became unhappy.

Xiana, of Balmoral Road, said: “I was quiet, miserable, unhealthy and desperately frustrated with myself. I was always the first to joke about my weight so nobody else could hurt me — but I was hurting inside.

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“I dressed in anything that would hide my lumps and bumps. The final straw came when the button pinged off my pants and I had to buy a size 18.

“It meant I was no longer able to fit into clothes from my favourite stores. I felt so embarrassed and ashamed.”

Xiana attended Nicola Haworth’s Slimming World group at Highfield Church in Edmund Street — and it turned her life around.

She said: “‘It felt like I had joined a big, caring family and I left feeling so motivated by all the sharing, support and ideas.

“I realised I did not need to deprive myself of lovely meals.

“So I went from binge eating junk fund to filling myself up on spaghetti bolognaise, Sunday roasts and macaroni cheese and still enjoyed a bar of chocolate and glass of wine.”

Xiana lost 7lb in her first week and took up jogging.

She said: “Before losing the weight I struggled to get up the stairs without being out of breath. Now I am a runner.

“Losing this weight has been a life-changer for me. I want to let anyone who is feeling the way I was know that you can do it too.”