Wirral mum of three loses more than five stones for a charity skydive raising money for Claire House

A mum of three lost more than five stones so she could take part in a daredevil charity skydive for Claire House.

Rebecca Smith, 34, weighed 17st 4lb when she agreed to leap out of a plane at 10,000 feet to raise money for Claire House Children’s Hospice.

And she knew there was no way she’d be allowed to do it unless she shed several stones.

“Doing the skydive was a once in a lifetime adventure and I wanted to raise money for a really good cause,” says Rebecca.

“It also gave me a goal to lose weight so I could do all the things I wanted to do with my children and enjoy life with them – and make them proud of me.

“Now I feel amazing.”

Rebecca, from Prenton, had never had a problem with her weight until a difficult relationship drove her to food.

“I struggled with my mental health. I lacked confidence, and I felt lost, so I used food for comfort,” she says. “And it’s a really hard habit to break.

“After having my first baby I just got bigger and bigger.”

Rebecca rarely had a breakfast, and if she did eat first thing it would be to hoover up the leftovers from the night before, like pizza ‘or whatever I could grab my hands on’, and she says: “I was addicted to energy drinks. I drank can after can of Monster which is full of sugar and caffeine.

“Lunch would be chicken nuggets which I’d have in a wrap, and maybe four or five slices of toast with loads of butter. I could even eat a whole six-pack of crumpets.

“I’d have a takeaway for tea, maybe a pizza, kebab, or a chippy tea. When I was cooking for the kids I’d make something like spaghetti Bolognese which was fine – but l’d have enough for three.”

Another of Rebecca’s weaknesses was chocolate: “Cadbury’s Dairy Milk was my go-to. I’d take a giant family bar up to bed with me and eat it before I went to sleep.”

The former special needs primary teacher has now got three children, Layla who’s 13, Lottie who’s seven, and Elsie, who is two.

And it was for them – as well as herself – that she finally decided she needed to lose weight.

“I wanted more from life, and my health was a big part of that.

“I started a hobby, personalising things like PJs, prints and keyrings for family and friends to give me a focus and that’s now given me a business, So Much Sweeter, which I hope to expand to help other people set up something similar.

“A huge part too was being able to get out and do things with the kids without worrying about what I looked like.

“I struggled to walk because of my size, and it was embarrassing go out with my children because I wouldn’t be able to run around with them and go on a playground. There was one family day out when I realised everyone else was able to enjoy my children more than I was, and I knew then things had to change.”

Rebecca weighed 18st 11lb and was a size 24 when she first decided to act in September last year.

She managed to lose 1st 7lb on her own and then, in January this year, she joined Slimming world.

“The group has been fantastic and so supportive. I wouldn’t have achieved what I have without the help of my consultant Michael or the other members. There’s no shame in group, no expectation; everyone’s just there for you.”

If anything, Rebecca put more pressure on herself.

When her cousin Michael Smith suggested doing the skydive for Claire House Children’s Hospice she eagerly signed up, even though she knew she was far too big to make the jump.

But she grins: “It gave me a goal and the motivation I needed to lose weight.

“I was 17st 4lb and, for my height of 5ft 5in, I needed to be 12st 4lb or under. I set myself a target of 12st, and I did it.

“I am now a size 12 and I feel incredible.

“Losing the weight and doing the skydive earlier this month was a massive achievement. I have so far raised £665 for an amazing charity.

“But with both I have done something that will make my children proud – and that means everything to me.”

Breakfast for Rebecca now is a bowl of cereal or piece of toast with low-fat Philadelphia cheese, and lunch is a ham wrap or a tuna mayo sandwich on a protein thin. Tea might be homemade Slimming World chips and chilli, cooked healthily with fresh minced beef instead of a ready meal.

Stepping out of an airplane for the thrilling feat of a lifetime has been one epic way of celebrating her weightloss. But it’s not the only one.

“I’d always wanted to take the children to BeWILDerwood woodland adventure park and I’ve done that since losing weight. And instead of watching from the ground, I was up there climbing the trees, racing them – and having the time of my life,” says Rebecca, who’s in a new long-term relationship.

“I feel now that I can do anything.

“If I can help and inspire even one person to lose weight that will make me happy, because if I can lose weight, anyone can.

“If you put your mind to it, anything is possible, and I’m proof of that.”