It started at the start of this year I went on holiday with a friend to a hotel I have been too a lot over the past 20 years, where one of the bar staff commented on my body having “filled out”. We were in the Caribbean and the girls are straight talking and do say it how it is over there! But still it hurt.

I returned home with the best intentions of getting to a gym, eating better and sorting my life out – none of which happened due to my workload and lack of enthusiasm. Although, I did put my house on the market to push me in the direction of changing something in my life.

I started to notice the guys talking to me all had very young girlfriends. I totally understood why a guy my age would prefer to be with a girl that has a gorgeous body but I knew I had to do something about my shape. I could offer a guy far more than a great body but from a confidence level I needed to make myself feel better.

I also noticed I was far more aware of walking about in a bikini; I popped a top on every time. I didn’t mind getting my legs out – all my friends say I have fab legs but my stomach was really worrying me. How did I put on all this weight?

I went to the doctor when I came home as I had noticed I wasn’t sleeping well and felt a bit low, I presumed it was due to leaving a comfortable job, selling my house and launching a new business. They discovered my blood pressure was really high and it could be due to a slight weight gain amongst other things. My mum had a stroke earlier this year and she is only 57 and also has thyroid problems, so the doctor was concerned about my blood pressure and wanted me to start doing some exercise and have some tests. This was the trigger I needed.

I no longer had work issues to stop me getting to the gym, as I was working for myself I had no excuse, but I really did need motivation to get me started. I knew too many people in Bath to go to the gym not knowing what I was doing – my pride shouldn’t have got in the way.

Then Boot Camp came long, being in Publishing for so long I buy a lot of magazines and had read about NYBC, so the day my house exchanged was the day I booked the camp.

My friends were surprised I was doing it; my parent’s thought I would be home in a day – I almost was! But I did it and the results have been amazing.

I lost 9llbs and 10 inches. Upon coming home I joined a gym within 24 hours and have been going almost every day since returning. I haven’t put on any weight, which has given me great confidence and I can now run 4k on the tread without stopping – no one on my camp or Staff would ever believe that – I hated running and made a great big fuss everytime we had too!

My blood pressure has dropped to a much better level and although I am having tests to find the cause of it I do feel so much better and les worried about it.

My confidence was put to the test last week when I was invited to attend an event that I used to organise in my old job, as a guest. None of my work mates or clients had seen me since I returned from camp so I put on my new SIZE 10 dress on, new high heels and off I went.

The response was amazing, I felt great and by the sound of it didn’t look so bad either! The fact that my dress was straight and fitted was amazement to my friends, as normally I would go for the empire line to hide my stomach but not this time¦

I will admit Boot Camp was the hardest thing I have ever done and yes if my car had been in the car park I would have jumped in it and gone home on Day 2 but I am so pleased I didn’t it was worth every penny, every tear and every pair of tracksuit bottoms!

There is still a way to go with my weight and toning up but I feel so much better and a pretty good catch for any man now. I am in a position to do the stuff I should have done when I finished college but I didn’t enjoy being on my own or have the courage to do it but now I feel I do… as long as I pack my trainers I think I’ll be just fine.