A BLAENAU Gwent teenager who failed to make her school’s netball team because of her weight has lost five-and-a-half stones in just 12 months.

Ebony Thomas, 15, a pupil at Tredegar Comprehensive School, found her self-confidence was at an all-time low when she was unable to keep up with her peers.

Feeling like the “odd one out”, Ebony, from Tredegar, decided that she needed to make a change - so she joined her local Slimming World group at Ystrad Deri Community Centre last year.

With a focus on healthier eating and having taken up walking long distances, Ebony, who originally weighed 16st 13lbs, shed a whopping five and a half stones to reach her current weight of 11st 8llbs.

Such has been the turnaround, Ebony has even made the school netball team she was once rejected for.

She said: “I was so unhappy with my weight. I felt embarrassed and thought everyone would judge me for being overweight at such a young age.

“I thought losing weight meant not eating very much or cutting out all of your favourite foods, but I learned a lot about food and some of the healthier choices to make at school or when I was out with friends.

"I love being able to wear the same clothes as my friends and enjoy going out with them more now.

“I used to feel so self-conscious about doing anything physical in public but I don’t anymore – I’m just like everyone else.

“I’ve got so much more energy to play with the dogs and things like that. It’s changed my life.”

Lena Wheatley-Smith, who runs Ebony’s slimming group, added: “We’re so proud of Ebony, she's a huge inspiration.

“She's learned healthy habits that will stay with her for life so worrying about her weight is definitely a thing of the past.

“Now Ebony has the skills to make healthier choices and she’s much more confident too.”