AFTER years of battling with her weight, winning our makeover competition was the “icing on the cake” for Diane Morton.

The 43-year-old mum of two, from Heybridge, was stunned when her name was announced by judges of the Gazette-backed Younger You competition.

She was convinced they were talking about someone else and it wasn’t until everyone turned to look at her that she realised they meant her.

“I couldn’t believe it,” laughed Diane. “They said my name and I nearly died. It couldn’t be more perfect for me at the moment and it’s the icing on the cake, the final chapter in this journey.”

Diane had fought to keep her weight down for 17 years. She tried “every diet that’s ever been created by man” but, like many dieters, put the weight straight back on.

“Last July I had an operation to have my stomach stapled and after that I lost six stone,” said Diane, who used to weigh 14 stone 12 lbs.

“I had been fat for 17 years and I thought, if I’m fat for another 17 years, I will be 60. I thought it would be now or never,” she explained.

In the months since the operation, Diane has felt like a new woman and when she saw the Younger You competition in the Gazette, she decided to go for it.

In her entry form she asked judges to “please pick me for a revamp and tone” and impressed them during the final with her enthusiasm to win.

Diane won a bumper package of prizes that have come at the perfect time to boost her new figure.

She will have a consultation with cosmetic doctors Glancey Medical Associates, in London, who have been featured on television show Ten Years Younger, a microderm abrasion, eyelash extension, nail treatment, a natural beauty package at Caramel Browne Salon, in Blackberry Road, Stanway, ten sessions with a personal trainer who will come to her house, nutritional advice, £700 worth of clothes from the Pheonix Boutique, in Coggeshall, and her hair done in a style created just for her.

“Losing all this weight has changed everything about me. I used to shop in Evans and anywhere that sold big sized – 20 to 22 – clothes. All of a sudden I’m a size eight to ten and I don’t know what to buy,” said Diane.

“My face has changed so my hairstyle doesn’t suit me anymore.

“The whole thing was nerve-wracking, but my husband and children have been really supportive. When I came home they were clapping me. I have been really lucky.”

Second prize winner, Sharon Whitworth, of Casino Road, Colchester, walked away with a prize which includes a makeover, hair, nails and treatments. The remainin finalists all received a goodie bag filled with professional products.

Carole Simpson-Reeve, owner of Caramel Browne Salon, praised all the finalists.

She said: “Picking from all of the finalists was a hard task. The first and second place winners’ enthusiasm for this competition said it all. They wanted it so badly.

“The evening was fabulous and we got a very good response.

“The two winners were both shaking when their names were read out.”