A 42-year-old slimmer from Durham says she feels great on the inside and out after losing 9st to reach the semi-finals of a competition to find the Slimming World’s most inspiring female members.
And she celebrated her incredible achievement with former England rugby international James Haskell, who described her as a ‘role model’.
Caroline McMahon was one of just 42 women to secure a place at the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2025 competition, held at Slimming World’s head office in Derbyshire, after losing an incredible 9st.
Caroline, who slimmed from 18st 1slb to 9st 1lb, earned her place at the semi-finals after the members of her group in Ferryhill voted for her to represent them nationally. She says: “Before I joined Slimming World, I felt stuck. My weight was affecting me on the inside and out – it impacted my health and the way I felt about myself. My confidence was low and I was self-conscious about my size, but I didn’t know how to change things.
“I felt like I was not only taking away from my own quality of life, but my entire family’s too, and that jolted me into doing something about it. Finding Slimming World was a turning point. I didn’t realise then that it would be the best decision I’d ever make.
“I discovered a way of eating that worked for me and my life – it wasn’t like a diet at all and I couldn’t believe it when I lost 7lbs in my first week. I didn’t have to give up the meals I loved, old favourites like pizza and chips were still on the menu, just cooked in a healthier way. I started trimming the fat off meat and using low-calorie cooking spray instead of oil, for instance. It wasn’t long before people started noticing, and that gave me the motivation to keep going.”
Caroline says the support of her Slimming World group kept her motivation high too: “My Slimming World group and my Consultant Davina have been incredible. The support, ideas and encouragement from everyone each week helped me believe I could do this. Going to the group each week was a reset for me, and they’ve been there for me every step of the way. Each week we’d talk about any challenges we had coming up or share new recipes we’d tried, and I learned so much – about food, and about myself and my own relationship with food.”
As Caroline started to lose weight, she began to think about becoming more active. She says: “My Consultant Davina would often talk about Slimming World’s activity support programme and how important activity was for your overall health. As I lost weight and felt more confident, I decided to give it a go. I started by taking small steps, I couldn’t walk at all without being in pain and getting out of breath before, but I gradually built it up. Now I go swimming and play netball and walk all the time. I find it really helps me mentally and emotionally too.”
James, who played for England in two Rugby World Cups and earned 77 caps for England, is known for promoting mental and physical wellbeing and was full of admiration for Caroline’s journey. He said: “Caroline has done something truly inspiring. She’s taken control of her health, built her confidence and developed life-long healthy habits. It shows that with the right support and mindset, you can achieve the things you set out to. She’s become stronger – physically and mentally – and for that she’s a real role model.”
Davina Costello who runs the group that Caroline attends says she is so proud of what she’s achieved she says: “Caroline is a star and watching her journey has been a privilege. She’s not just lost weight, she’s grown in confidence and self-belief. She’s a huge support to others in group and a brilliant example of what can be achieved. Losing weight isn’t easy, we know that, and support plays a huge role in people’s motivation and success.
“Whether you are just starting your journey, need some extra support to develop healthy eating alongside weight-loss medication or you’ve been a member before, we’ve made some exciting new changes at our groups and I’d love to welcome anyone to pop along to our group at Ferryhill Sports & Education Centre on Lambton Road, at 9am, 10:30am, 4:30pm or 6pm every Tuesday. Or you can call me on 07920 859665 to find out more.”
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
I always like to see the before and after pics,
Ann NG Our bad, Ann. Now added. What an amazing transformation, Caroline!
Awesome well done Caroline xxx