Woman once branded ‘Hagrid’ loses 8st to fulfil dream of starting roller-skating

Laura Holder has lost 8st to fulfil her dream of taking up roller-skating.

She got her boots on as part of a bucket list of things she had never dared attempt because of her size.

Laura, 44, hated the sight of herself after piling on pounds during her two pregnancies – then ate to feel better.

But when the pandemic struck she feared for her health and was determined to get in shape. To spur her on, the stay-at-home mum drew up her list of things she was determined to try – and went from 18st 7lb to 10st 7lb.

Laura said: “I had so many things in life I wanted to tick off but, because of my weight, never had the confidence.

“I always wanted to learn to skate and feel light and graceful, but I was scared to fall and hurt myself because of my weight.

“After slimming down I thought, ‘I’m not getting any younger – why not go for it?’”

The mum to two teenagers had faced nasty comments about her appearance.

She said: “A stranger called me Hagrid. Another person called me Gemma Collins to try to insult me.

“I tried to brush off the comments, but it definitely got me down.”

Since she began counting the calories she has dropped from a size 24 to an eight to 10 and already ticked off activities off her list, which included taking acting lessons and playing football with her son.

Laura, from Sidcup, Kent, added: “I found a new lease of life… and I finally feel happy in my own skin.”