Worcester mum Zoey Patrick loses 5 stone after failing to fit on a Legoland ride

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Zoey Patrick, 29, from Worcester, weighed 15st and was a dress size 18
Lived off takeaways after daughter Keira had extended stay in hospital
Safety bar on one ride at Legoland wouldn't fit over her bulky frame
She went on a diet and is now 10 stone and dress size 10

Published: 09:06 EST, 14 September 2015 | Updated: 11:08 EST, 14 September 2015

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A mother-of-two lost five stone after discovering she was too large to squeeze into a ride at Legoland with her children.

Zoey Patrick, 29, from Worcester, revealed she was mortified after she was unable to fit the safety bar over her size 18 frame at the Windsor theme park last August.

However instead of admitting the problem to staff, the former professional singer continued with the ride anyway and 'prayed' she didn't fall out.

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Zoey Patrick, is now a size 10 and weighs 10st, left, after losing five stone. She piled on the pounds following the birth of her daughter Keira, right

Zoey was shamed into going on a diet after she struggled to get the safety bar on a ride at Legoland, pictured, over her size 18 frame

She then used the embarrassing experience as motivation to diet, leading her to slim down to 10 stone and a dress size 10.

Zoey said: 'I decided I needed to do something about my weight after the trip to Legoland. Rather than face the humiliation of putting my hands up and saying "excuse me, I'm too fat for this ride" I just held the safety bar down and prayed I didn't fall out.

'It was probably a bit risky but I was too embarrassed and I knew then I had do something about my weight.'

Zoey said she piled on the pounds thanks to having to live on takeaways and sugary snacks from hospital cafes and vending machines following the birth of her first child Keira in 2008.

The mother-of-two lost five stone, left, thanks to changing her diet. She said she gained weight, right, when her little girl was in hospital and she had to live on takeaways and sugary snacks

Keira developed osteomyelitis, a rare condition which inflames bone marrow, due to an infection in her thigh. The illness is usually only found in children in underdeveloped countries and left the little girl battling for her life for three months at Southampton General Hospital.

During that time, frantic Zoey ate unhealthy hospital food, snacking in the cafes and guzzling up to six energy drinks a day.

She explained: 'I didn't want to fall asleep because I wanted to be with Keira. Doctors told me she probably wouldn't survive and even if she did she would never be able to walk.

'It was so rare doctors did not know what it was for ages and I thought I was going to lose my baby.

'I just ate at the hospital where I could. I popped to the cafe or a vending machine. I also probably ate around four takeaways a week, I'd have curry, Chinese, KFC and McDonald's.

'What was happening to my daughter was horrible and at the same I was getting bigger and becoming somebody I hated to be. I started getting bouts of severe anxiety and I really hit rock bottom.'

Zoey, pictured with daughters Keira and Darci, said she is much more confident now she's slimmer

At her heaviest she struggled to fit into a size 18 dress and tipped the scales at over 15 stone.

Her battle continued when she had a second child Darci, now three, and struggled to shift the baby weight.

Keira, now seven, pulled through her illness but required regular trips to see nutritionists and dieticians and was only finally given the all-clear last year.

The family celebrated with a trip to Legoland in Windsor last August and it was there that Zoey got a wake up call about her size.

'I also caught myself in a Marks & Spencer shop window at around the same time and could not believe how big I had become,' she added.

Zoey said she goes out more now, left, as she used to stay in , right, rather than be 'the fattest girl in the bar'

The embarrassed mother decided enough was enough and joined her local Slimming World that September.

With the support of the group, she changed her diet ditching takeaways for home-cooked healthy meals and upping her intake of fruit and vegetables.

Since then, she has shed five stone and now can fit into a size 10 dress for the first time in more than seven years.

Zoey, who lives with fiancé Jack Dunham, 29, said she is delighted with her new look.

She said: 'After going through such a difficult period I knew it was time to focus on myself.

'Losing this weight is like a dream come true and it has given me a new lease of life. I became quite isolated but now I'm not ashamed about going out to birthday parties with my children or swimming. It has made me much more sociable and confident.

Zoey was crowned Woman of the Year at her local Slimming World group thanks to her weight loss

'I promised myself I wouldn't be fat for 30 and I've managed to get there just in time.'

Zoey, who is due to graduate from the University of Worcester in November with a degree in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, said her new size has also meant getting a new wardrobe.

'It's going to be nice to be able to wear a really nice dress rather than big baggy clothes for my graduations photos,' she said. 'I'd always seen clothes I was never able to wear because I had to shop at plus-sized clothes stores.

'Now I can go into the likes of Topshop and River Island and pick out nice dresses and be a bit more fashionable.

'I go out more now with my friends because I have the confidence to wear a little black dress.

'It's really nice not to be the fattest girl in the bar. If you've got it, flaunt it, I say.'

Three weeks ago Zoey was crowned Woman of the Year 2015 at her local Slimming World group in Worcester.

Her consultant Peggy Sowerby added: 'I am so incredibly proud of Zoey - she has done so well and is such an inspiration to the rest of the group.'