It's only been a few weeks since ex-EastEnders star Hannah Waterman revealed she'd split from her husband after losing almost 3st. I've read every bit of her story because I've been on the same journey. I've gone from being hugely overweight to slim and sexy. And, just like Hannah, once I'd lost weight, I ditched my man, too.
Three years ago, I weighed nearly 21st - far too heavy for my 5ft 6in frame - and wore tent-like size-32 clothes.
I'd never been slim. I'd never bought trendy clothes, or been envied by friends for my body.
Then I dieted, dropped 9st and dumped my partner of over two years, Andrew*. I hadn't found a new man, I'd just found the new 'real' me. I'd dieted, expecting my body to change, but I changed, too.
These days, I'm half the dress size I was, but double the personality. I'm a different woman to the one Andrew met in a bar in 2006.
He was tall, slim and gorgeous. I was fat, frumpy and dowdy. So, when he came over to me, I thought he wanted to chat to my mates. But not only did he want to talk to me, he leaned in for a kiss.
I'd not had many boyfriends or sexual partners before, and this sort of thing never happened to me. Later, Andrew came back to my house and we talked for hours.
We started dating, had dinners and went to the cinema. The first time we made love, I was so nervous. All I could think about was how he'd react to my naked body, but I needn't have worried.
But other people did comment on us as a couple. Girls made bitchy comments about me being a pity date, while strangers looked me up and down, the disgust clear on their faces. My confidence was at rock bottom. I was scared of losing Andrew, so I pushed my needs aside and concentrated on making him happy.
In 2007, a few weeks after moving in with Andrew, I bumped into Jenny, a friend I hadn't seen for around six months. She'd always been big, like me. But now she was slim. She told me she'd been following a diet plan that replaces meals with soups and shakes, and she'd had counselling to understand the reasons behind her overeating.
I hadn't dieted since I'd met Andrew, as he'd always said he loved my curves. But seeing my friend looking slim and sexy, I wanted to be like that, too.
'Why would you want to diet?' Andrew said when I told him. I looked at him. Did he want me to stay fat?
But I was determined to lose weight. I fought the desire to gorge on my favourite chocolates and crisps. Instead, I followed a strict diet plan, drinking milkshakes and eating vegetable and mushroom-flavoured soups, and crispy cranberry bars. I lost 11lb in the first week and was ecstatic. That spurred me on to stick to the plan, and within three months I'd lost 5st, and was down to a size 16 for the first time in years.
But while my diet was proving a success, my relationship with Andrew was starting to falter. When I splashed out on a little black dress from River Island, I was desperate for him to see it on me. But his only response was: 'I won't go out with you if you're wearing that. It's too revealing.'
And he didn't stop there. After that, he seemed quick to point out if my clothes looked tight. 'You need to lose a bit more weight before you can get away with wearing things like that,' he'd say.
His comments really hurt. I wanted him to love me more, not less. That's when the arguments began and our sex life dwindled.
I started to realise that I didn't have to be grateful for Andrew's love, not that I felt there was much of that any more. Other men were beginning to notice me - and my new, slimmer figure. And, one day, while working in the photography studio where I was an assistant, a customer asked me out on a date.
'I've got a boyfriend,' I blushed.
The next day, a bunch of roses arrived for me. Of course I felt flattered, but I didn't take things any further.
As I lost even more weight, I began to feel attractive for the first time in my life. But my relationship with Andrew, on the other hand, was looking ugly. Our sex life was now non-existent, and I spent most of our time together in tears.
I'd hoped losing weight would bring the two of us closer together. Make us really happy. In reality, the opposite was happening.
By late 2008, I was 12st and a curvy size 12. Instead of sitting at home waiting for Andrew, I went out with friends.
Men would approach me. And while, at first, I thought they were just drunk, there was something about the way they looked at me that told me they actually fancied me.
Women looked at me differently, too. The pity had gone. Now, there was admiration, even envy. It worked wonders ¿on my confidence and, slowly but surely I began to question what I wanted from life.
Things eventually came to a head with Andrew and me on New Year's Day 2009 - ironically, exactly a year before Hannah Waterman and Ricky Groves would confirm their split.
As I listened to Andrew talking about work, something clicked inside me and I realised I just didn't love him any more. Maybe I'd never really loved him - more needed him. But I wasn't scared of being lonely.
'I'm sorry, but you've got to go,' I told Andrew. I explained how I'd been feeling and, shocked by the revelation, he packed and left.
A couple of hours later, he called me and pleaded for us to work at our relationship. But I'd made up my mind, and friends and family supported me.
From that moment, I stepped into a new world. I cleared out my wardrobe, called my friends and started having fun.
I'm sure Andrew loved me. He never blamed the weight loss for us splitting up, he just thought my personality had changed. He's a good, kind man, he's just not the man for me. Splitting up was the best thing for us - we'd only have made each other unhappy.
Hannah Waterman looks amazing. She's worked hard to achieve her new body and deserves to be happy, inside and out. If moving on from her marriage is right for her, who are we to judge?"
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