A CWMBRAN woman has lost over six stones and won her Slimming World group's 'Woman of the Year' title.

Helen Jones has lost 6st 2lbs after joining Slimming World in Cwmbran 23 months ago.

She suffered with depression for nine years and admits that she used to comfort eat on crisps and chocolate in the evenings.

She said: “My eating just spiralled out of control and I put a lot of weight on after having my daughter and suffering from depression.

“I’m just so happy now as I never thought that I would lose so much weight.”

Mrs Jones dropped from a clothes size 24 and weighing 17st 2lbs to a size 12 and weighing 11st. She said: “I got the incentive to join as I booked to go to Florida for my daughter’s 10th birthday and I wanted to fit in a women’s swimming costume.

“I joined in October 2011 and had exceeded my target by the time of the holiday in May this year.”

Before joining the group she would skip breakfast, snack on crisps and chocolate and her evening meal would be pie and chips.

Now she has cut bread from her diet, eats scrambled egg for breakfast, snacks on fruit and her evening meal is chilli and rice or spaghetti Bolognese, but she does allow the odd sin, enjoying a Curly Wurly and a packet of Quavers.

She said: “The hardest part was getting the confidence to step in through the doors. But every time I lost weight it spurred me on to continue.”

Mrs Jones also started exercising at the gym, and is happy that she can enjoy going for long walks with her daughter and playing a game of netball.

This year, as well as winning the title Slimming World’s Woman of the Year, she also won the Miss Slinky and Greatest Loser titles.

She now hopes to become a consultant so that she can inspire others to lose weight.

The classes in Cwmbran are run by Nicole Thomas, who added: “The reason we share these amazing stories is to show people it is possible to lose weight.”