A 42-year-old slimmer from Southport says she feels great on the inside and out after losing 10st 8lbs to reach the semi-finals of a competition to find the Slimming World’s most inspiring female members.
And she celebrated her incredible achievement with former England rugby international James Haskell, who described her as a ‘role model’.
Laura Roche was one of just 42 women to secure a place at the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2025 competition, held at Slimming World’s head office in Derbyshire, after losing an incredible 10st 8lbs.
Laura, who slimmed from 20st 13slbs to 10st 5lbs, earned her place at the semi-finals after the members of her group in Southport voted for her to represent them nationally. She says: “Before I joined Slimming World, I felt stuck. My weight was affecting me on the inside and out – it impacted my health and the way I felt about myself. My confidence was low and I was self-conscious about my size, but I didn’t know how to change things.
“I took somebody I care for to their local Slimming World group and while I was there supporting them, there was a 97-year-old member who reached her target weight that day and spoke about how she wished she’d done it sooner. That jolted me into doing something about my own weight and I joined shortly after. I didn’t realise then that it would be the best decision I’d ever make.
“I discovered a way of eating that worked for me and my life – it wasn’t like a diet at all and I couldn’t believe it when I lost 5lbs in my first week. I didn’t have to give up the meals I loved, old favourites like roast dinners, risotto, and egg and chips
were still on the menu, just cooked in a healthier way. I started trimming the fat off meat and using low-calorie cooking spray instead of oil, for instance. It wasn’t long before people started noticing, and that gave me the motivation to keep going.”
Laura says the support of her Slimming World group kept her motivation high too: “My Slimming World group and my Consultant Dee have been incredible. The support, ideas and encouragement from everyone each week helped me believe I could do this. Going to the group each week was a reset for me, and they’ve been there for me every step of the way. Each week we’d talk about any challenges we had coming up or share new recipes we’d tried, and I learned so much – about food, and about myself and my own relationship with food.”
As Laura started to lose weight she began to think about becoming more active. She says: “My Consultant Dee would often talk about Slimming World’s activity support programme and how important activity was for your overall health. As I lost weight and felt more confident, I decided to give it a go. I started by walking my dog around the block and going a little further each day and now I’ve built up to going for one hour every morning and evening. I find it really helps me mentally and emotionally too.”
James, who played for England in two Rugby World Cups and earned 77 caps for England, is known for promoting mental and physical wellbeing and was full of admiration for Laura’s journey. He said: “Laura has done something truly inspiring. She’s taken control of her health, built her confidence and developed life-long healthy habits. It shows that with the right support and mindset, you can achieve the things you set out to. She’s become stronger – physically and mentally – and for that she’s a real role model.”
Dee Wright who runs the group that Laura attends says she is so proud of what she’s achieved she says: “Laura is a star and watching her journey has been a privilege. She’s not just lost weight, she’s grown in confidence and self-belief. She’s a huge support to others in group and a brilliant example of what can be achieved. Losing weight isn’t easy, we know that, and support plays a huge role in people’s motivation and success. Whether you are just starting your journey, need some extra support to develop healthy
eating alongside weight-loss medication or you’ve been a member before, we’ve made some exciting new changes at our groups and I’d love to welcome anyone to pop along to our group at St Simon and St Jude Church on Old Park Lane on Thursdays at 9am, 4pm, 5:30pm and 7pm and Fridays at 7:30am, 9am and 10:30am. Or you can call me on 07711566153 to find out more.”
About Slimming World
Slimming World was founded by Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE in Derbyshire in 1969 and is the UK and Ireland’s leading weight loss organisation with more people choosing to attend a Slimming World group each week than any other weight loss programme. We support
hundreds of thousands of people, both in our groups and online, to lose weight and to adopt new habits to stay slim for life.
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