From Ursula to Elsa: Mother lets go of 8st in weight loss bid
A woman from the Black Country has dropped 8st and is now the spitting image of Disney Frozen princess Elsa – despite looking like the Little Mermaid's hefty sea witch Ursula before shedding the pounds.
Kate Turner, 35, from Dudley, weighed more than 19st before undergoing a lifesaving gastric band.
The mother of two – who compared herself to the large Disney character Ursula before her weightloss – was recently asked to step in play the role of Elsa from Frozen for a local business when their impersonator cancelled.
Kate was overwhelmed, not only was it a huge compliment but it showed her how far she'd come since her weightloss surgery.
Now, after dropping six dress sizes, she has got her health back and has even tied the knot after shedding the pounds.
Kate said: "A local business needed someone to dress up as Elsa after an impersonator they'd hired cancelled last minute.
"It was just before Christmas and when they asked, I couldn't say no.
"With my hair plaited to the side and wearing the blue Elsa-inspired dress, I actually looked similar to the Disney character.
"I had to sing along to all the tracks as well, it was slightly embarrassing but it showed how far I'd come since my gastric band. The operation was a matter of life or death as my organs were already damaged.
"I had to lose the weight for my kids Harry, nine and Ronnie, five, I wanted to be a good role model for them."
Kate was a size 24 when she decided to have the gastric band fitted – she had tried every diet going but nothing worked.
And after being warned by doctors about her debilitating health problems, she needed to act fast.
Kate added: "I was happy being plus sized but I knew it wasn't healthy. My portion sizes were huge, I loved all food and I'd never think twice about ordering two meals from McDonald's and an extra burger to drive with."
"But having a gastric band wasn't the quick fix I first thought it was, it was almost £6,000 and I was in for a shock after surgery.
"It was a relief that I would start to lose weight but it was a real shock afterwards.
"Thankfully I had my supportive husband, Kieran, 39, on hand."
Despite now weighing 11st and wearing size 12, Kate set up a plus size boutique, Love The Size Your In, after she started to lose weight.
She added: "I was determined to help other women who were a size 16 plus, I knew exactly how they felt and wanted to ensure they could buy trendy clothes."
