A mum who ate four takeaways a day has transformed her life after getting surgery abroad - where she also met her new lover.
Grace Dudley, 33, says she was 'eating herself into an early grave', scoffing McDonald's for breakfast each day, burgers for lunch, kebabs for dinner before finishing it off with a Domino's as a late-night snack. The self-confessed food addict was tipping the scales at 27st as a size 28.
But realising she was practically immobile, the mum-of-one decided to make a drastic change for the sake of her eight-year-old son Vinnie. She headed to Turkey to go under the knife and ended up meeting the man of her dreams in the process, though online trolls say she's 'punching' in the relationship.
In July 2023, Grace had gastric sleeve surgery which has seen her now lose more than a third of her body weight. The operation was life-changing in more ways than one as she met Terry, who was having his teeth done, while in Turkey.
The 35-year-old dad-of-three met Grace while she was recovering from surgery and the pair have been inseparable ever since. Striking photos show Grace's incredible 10st weight loss that's left her unrecognisable to friends and family.
However, cruel trolls say it's only a matter of time before '[Terry] leaves her for someone else'. Grace, from Rainham, Essex, said: "Trolls say 'he'll leave her', 'it's only a matter of time before he leaves her for someone else'.
"They call us 'little and large' and [say] 'he's too good for her'. Typically in today's society, Terry's a lot better looking than me. A lot of people say 'she's punching'. I think the world of him so I understand why other people would think that looks-wise.
"But at the end of the day I don't really see looks, we see each other's hearts and souls. It's very shallow to just see looks. We look at these trolls now and just laugh, it's just funny. We are so comfortable with how happy we are - our love just overcomes anything."
Grace credits the weight-loss operation for saving her life after gaining weight following the loss of her dad from Covid in 2020. Grace put on 9st in four years due to comfort eating in a bid to help cope with her grief.
The stay-at-home mum said: "I was 27 stone and eating three or four takeaways a day. I'd have a McDonald's breakfast, then I'd get something like a Smashburger for lunch, then a kebab for tea and I'd be hungry again and order a pizza later on.
"I could barely stand, I had horrific sleep apnea. I was completely immobile, I couldn't get to my front door. My legs and hips couldn't carry the weight. I was without a doubt a food addict. I didn't eat to live, I lived to eat. I was eating myself to an early grave."
After reaching breaking point, Grace began researching weight-loss surgery and opted to undergo a gastric sleeve operation in Turkey. Costing £3,000, the TikTok content creator went under the knife on July 3rd 2023 and said her life has been transformed - losing a mammoth 10 stone in six months.
Grace said: "That was the first day of the rest of my life, I can now jog and take my son out. My self-confidence has grown through the roof. My mental health has seen the biggest improvement. My sleep apnea has gone, my risk of diabetes has gone.
"I think so differently about food now. Before I would've eaten three Big Mac meals in one sitting. If I think about a Big Mac now it makes me feel physically sick." As well as leaving Turkey with half her stomach, Grace left with her dream man too after a chance meeting at a dental clinic.
Grace said: "Terry met me at my absolute ugliest and my worst and we fell in love there and then. We're still together happier than ever, our children love each other. I never thought I'd meet the man of my dreams out there, he's my biggest cheerleader.
"My life since that day in Turkey has changed forever. Now I'm looking at rings and wedding dresses." Construction worker Terry said he felt an 'immediate spark' with Grace after meeting in Turkey.
Terry said: "The last thing I was looking for was love, it was an immediate spark. I've never felt this way about anyone before. We never stopped texting after leaving Turkey and met up a week later. We've been inseparable since."