I lost 12 stone after a breakup made me realise my self-worth – I’d still weigh 22 stone and be living a ‘fat life’ if I stayed in the relationship

A woman who had a ‘glow up’ after a break up and lost 12 stone says she feels ‘liberated’ and is now inundated with DMs from men.

Laura Gunn, 30, from Fife in Scotland, says she became comfortable in her 10-year relationship and didn’t feel she had anyone to ‘impress’.

At her heaviest she weighed 22st 7lbs and was a size 24 but after her ex fiancée broke up with her she says she realised her self-worth.

Laura had tried every fad diet and struggled to lose weight so opted for a gastric bypass surgery in Lithuania after lots of research.

She had the £6.5k operation in March 2023 and is now 10st exactly and a slender size eight to 12.

AFTER: Following the break-up of her 10-year relationship, Laura (pictured after losing weight) says she had a ‘glow up’

Now Laura has never felt better and is grateful her ex broke it off with her.

Laura, an intensive care nurse, said: ‘If we’d have stayed in that relationship I would have never changed.

‘I would have lived a fat life. 

‘He’s done me the biggest favour. I’ve lost 12 stone. I’ve lost half of me.

‘I feel liberated and happy.’

Laura had been with her ex since they were 16 and they were engaged to be married.

She said: ‘Everything became easy. I didn’t have anyone to impress anymore. I let myself go.

‘I was so depressed. But I thought ‘I’m getting married, everything will be fine’.’

According to Laura (pictured before her weight loss journey), she was ‘so depressed’ before losing weight, but now feels ‘liberated and happy’

The intensive care nurse (pictured) says she ‘let [herself] go’ while in her longterm relationship, as she felt she ‘didn’t need to impress anyone’

While Laura (pictured before her weight loss journey) says she was initially ‘devastated’ after the break-up, she soon realised it was the right thing for her

They were due to tie the knot but postponed their summer 2020 wedding due to the pandemic.

But in December 2020 the pair ended their 10-year relationship.

Laura said: ‘I was devastated but I quickly realised it was the right thing..’

She realised they had grown apart and had a wake up call about her health after being put on blood pressure medication aged 27.

Laura quickly ended up in another short relationship which helped boost her confidence and gave her the push to look into weight loss surgery.

According to Laura (pictured before losing weight) she would ‘still be living a fat life’ if she had stayed in her longterm relationship

She did a lot of research before settling on going to the Nordbariatric Clinic, Lithuania and had a gastric bypass in March last year.

At first she found it hard to get her head around her weight loss and the changes.

But now she eats a healthy diet of home-cooked meals and hits the gym three times a week.

She said: ‘When I was bigger I dressed like a 50-year-old woman.

‘I didn’t know who I was. My identity was all over the place.

‘I never used to be able to look in the mirror. I never had any mirrors in the house.

‘The person I am today is enhanced because I’m happy. I used to never take pride in myself.’

Laura says she’s also experienced more attention since losing the weight.

Following her major transformation, Laura (pictured) says she has come to learn that ‘skinny privilege’ is real, and that she was unfortunately treated much worse by people when she was bigger

‘RESPECT AND LOVE’: Now that she has lost more than half of her body weight, Laura (pictured) says she has ‘respect and love for [herself]’

She said: ‘I didn’t think skinny privilege was a thing.

‘But I absolutely do. People hold doors open for you.

‘My DMs have never been busier. Men definitely treat me differently.

‘It’s really strange, a bit scary and overwhelming but nice.

‘I have respect and love for myself.’