A woman who was left with bruises on the sides of her legs and swollen ankles after flying long-haul, decided enough was enough and that she had to lose weight.

Dianne Tucker was a size 20 when her family moved from Bicester to Perth in Western Australia. But the fear of not being able to see her family in the UK, prompted her to join a Weight Watchers group abroad.

The 57-year-old said: “I was too big to fit into the aeroplane seats and was left bruised after every trip.

“I knew I had to do something otherwise I risked not seeing my family.”

When Mrs Tucker, who has three daughters and two grandchildren, moved to Perth she weighed 14 stone 6lbs. After joining the Weight Watchers group she lost three stone.

She said: “It was fantastic. I was a clothes size 12 to 14 and spent hours shopping for modern clothes like fitted shirts and jeans – anything that I found and liked that was no longer just something thrown on to cover the bulges. I loved being able to shop in all shops and not just the ‘big girl’ shops.”

Mrs Tucker maintained her goal weight of 11 stone 4lbs for six months and became a lifetime member of Weight Watchers Down Under.

She said: “All us girls went out to celebrate. I had become a different person – happier, more confident and the biggest joy was dressing to go out and enjoy life.”

After her husband’s contract in Perth ended, Mrs Tucker’s family moved back to Lily Close, in Bicester, last year. The first thing Mrs Tucker did was sign up to Emma Richardson’s Weight Watchers group in Bicester.

There she discussed becoming a leader as she wanted to help others with weight problems. She said: “I was accepted on the training programme and now I’m able to offer my members the same support I had in meetings on two continents.”

Mrs Tucker launched her new meeting at Kidlington’s Gosford Sports Centre, last month.

bicester@oxfordmail.co.uk