A WOMAN is celebrating after shedding the pounds which allowed her to enjoy an "unforgettable" birthday dream.

Julie Brain, who is from Ebbw Vale, wanted to do something memorable to celebrate her 50th birthday.

And that something was to do a tandem skydive.

But Ms Brain, who weighed 18 stone, was told she needed to be 13 stone maximum.

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She said: ‘'When my daughter, Chelsea, was discharged from the eating disorder clinic, I supported her at home. Chelsea needed lots of calories a day to maintain her weight. Everything had to be full fat with snacks of chocolate, crisps and biscuits.

"Every time Chelsea had something to eat, she wanted me to eat something with her, so I did. It’s no wonder that my weight ballooned to 18 stone."

The mother then became determined to lose weight so she could achieve her skydiving dream.

‘I joined WW (formerly Weight Watchers) in Ebbw Vale," she said.

"The WW app is brilliant. It makes it easy to keep track of your food and drink choices and nudges you to healthier foods.

"There are so many delicious recipes on the app, online and cook books that you can get in your studio. Every Friday, Chelsea and I sit down and look through recipes, plan meals and write a shopping list. Sunday is a day for batch cooking. This routine helps me keep control through the week and allows me to have a treat on Friday.

"You can definitely eat out or have a takeaway on WW. On Friday night, I enjoy a kebab."

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And within a few months, Ms Brain managed to lose five stone and fulfilled her skydiving dream three months ago.

"It was an amazing feeling to jump out of the plane and fall back down to earth," she said.

"The only nerves I had were as I sat on the edge of the plane before I jumped. I loved it so much."

She added: "I now want to do it on my own so am looking in how to qualifying to make this happen."

WW holds meetings in St John's Ambulance Hall, The Walk, in Ebbw Vale every Monday and Thursday.