A MUM has been crowned 'Woman of the Year' for her inspirational weight loss story.

Mum-of-three Natasha Tracey, from Radcliffe, said she was spurred on to shed the pounds after her sons told her she was 'not a fun mum'.

As a teenager, Natasha said she used to hide behind people or objects — something which continued into her twenties and thirties.

But now the super slimmer has been named an inspiration and crowned 'Woman of the Year' at her local Slimming World group in Mytham Road, Little Lever, alongside fellow member Amy Wunderley.

Natasha has shed six stone since November last year.

She said: "I have been a yo-yo dieter all my life.

"I always carried heavier on my legs and from my teenage years always hid behind people or objects. Unfortunately this carried on into my twenties and thirties, hiding myself at every given chance.

"Last year, I got the wake-up call I needed and was made only too aware of my actions because I wasn't the ‘fun mum’ that did things with her kids. To hear your kids say this is heartbreaking but it was what I needed to hear. Kids can be brutal, however they were right.

"I was the one in the background taking the photos while they were having fun with dad, playing football in the park, swimming, all the things that the kids would remember about growing up.

"I knew there and then I had to change something. I decided I was going to give it my all because my kids deserved to have happy memories from their childhood which included me."

In September 2017, Natasha began following the Slimming World plan and managed to lose two stone.

Then, in November, she joined the Mytham Road group that had been set up by her sister-in-law Victoria Ogden, and has lost a further four stone.

Natasha said: "I can’t even begin to express how much the decision to join Slimming world changed my life.

"I can now run around like a loon playing tag with my boys, playing in the park and playing football. I have a new lease of life."

At the end of August, Natasha and Amy joined the Mytham group for a celebratory walk around Moses Gate Country Park in aid of Cancer Research UK and to raise awareness about how staying healthy can reduce the risk of cancer.

Victoria Ogden, who runs the group, said: "I’m so proud of Amy and Natasha. They are both a huge inspiration to everyone in our group. What they have each achieved is nothing short of incredible.

"I hope their stories inspire other women and men to change their lives in the same way."