DON’T JUDGE!

Ceely Shakespeare, 36, Gatwick

There has always been a stigma around weight loss surgery. Many people view a gastric sleeve as the ‘easy way out’ or ‘cheating’.

But not me.

I don’t think anyone should be embarrassed of having surgery.

It can give you a new lease of life and a chance to get your health back on track.

I do believe surgery should always be the last option, after you’ve exhausted every route.

For me, a gastric sleeve was my final resort…

I’ve spent my life overweight.

In secondary, I was a size 14.

I couldn’t fit into the school shop uniform, and I had to purchase my skirts from Etam.

By the time P.E. came into the mix, I was too big to enjoy sport.

I’d hide, terrified of the beep