A teacher has finally won her lifelong battle of the bulge.

When Ruth Helm, of Coniston Close, Braintree, was a young girl, doctors told her she would only live to middle age because she was so overweight.

Throughout her life she has constantly struggled to shed the excess pounds - feeling like a death sentence was hanging over her.

But now at the age of 60 she has at last fought the flab - shedding a whopping six stone. That's roughly the same as 38 bags of sugar.

The part-time textile teacher lost the weight in just over a year and her blood pressure, which throughout her life had been alarmingly high, is now normal - easing the risk to her life.

High blood pressure affects a fifth of all adults in Britain. It is a major cause of strokes and heart attacks.

Mrs Helm said: "I am so happy about the weight I have lost. It has given me a new lease of life. Life is exciting at the moment because I don't know which direction it is heading in. I have so much energy."

This, Mrs Helm says, is a world away from how she used to feel. She said: "I used to feel a bit of a freak. People turn round and stare at you and say nasty things. You can't buy clothes to fit and it is uncomfortable as well."

Mrs Helm teaches at Notley High School, Braintree. Before that she worked in an Ilford school as a teacher for 39 years.

She said: "Because I travelled from Braintree to Ilford every day I didn't have much time to get to know the town where I lived.

"Now I am able to explore and meet people and I am having a wonderful time. Anyone who is thinking of losing weight should just go for it. Do not be embarrassed or worried as you get so much support."

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