AFTER losing five stone, a Bramley resident gained the confidence to chase her dream.

From the age of nine, Grace Elliott had the ambition of walking out on stage to sing her heart out.

After being accepted at the University of Chichester to study musical theatre, it seemed like the now 21-year-old was on her way to achieving what she set out to do.

However, Grace did not thrive in the setting, shying away from the limelight and desperately trying not to catch a glimpse of herself in the studio mirrors due to her weight.

Speaking to Slimming World magazine, Grace said: “Going to university had been exciting to begin with, then homesickness started to set in.

“I really missed my family and my boyfriend, Jack.

"I turned to food to console myself and now that I was in charge of my own food shopping, I revelled in the freedom of stocking up on sharing bags of toffee popcorn and eating pizza every night.”

It was while on holiday with Jack that his mum took a photo of the pair, and Grace did not recognise the woman she was looking at.

At her heaviest, Grace was 15 stone and having tried all the fad diets, she found that nothing was working.

Then a family friend recommended Slimming World.

“I began making Slimming World recipes, replacing oil with low-calorie cooking spray, cutting the fat off meat and using lean mince,” Grace added.

“When I started losing a little weight, I wondered how much more I could lose if I did things properly.

“With my third year of uni about to start, I went online and found a Slimming World group near my student accommodation.”

After joining the group, the 21-year-old found that everyone was welcoming, and she started to see a difference in her appearance.

Having lost five-and-a-half stone, Grace has regained her confidence being ably to buy herself a new dress for her graduation and is now living out her dream after landing a role as Rizzo in a production of Grease.

She has also become the cover start of Slimming World magazine and runs her own group in Bramley.

To find out more about Slimming World and the classes that the organisation offers, go to slimmingworld.co.uk/nearest-group-search.