Baby, look at Cheryl now; BRIDE-TO-BE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A HEALTHY WEIGHT FOR HER WEDDING AND EVEN FALLING PREGNANT DID NOT STOP HER.

CHERYL Hill knew she was overweight, but it was only after seeing herself in a holiday home movie she realised just how bad things had become.

The 27-year-old felt self-conscious about her size during a trip to the Dominican Republic in August 2006.

And when she got home and saw the shots of herself in a bikini, Cheryl felt physically sick.

She said: "I used to avoid mirrors and I could dress to hide my size - but seeing myself in a bikini meant there was no escape."

The weight had gone on gradually over the years, thanks to Cheryl's love of take-away food and her party lifestyle.

By the summer of 2006, she weighed 13 stone 2lbs and was a dress size 16.

Spurred on by the video, Cheryl started following the Atkins diet. However it made her feel awful and she quickly gave up.

But when her boyfriend Mark, 27, proposed during a holiday to Rome six months later, Cheryl was determined she wasn't going to waddle down the aisle as a fat bride.

She said: "I knew if I wanted the weight to stay off I needed to do it properly, so I signed up with WeightWatchers and started going to the class every week."

Shifting those extra pounds meant a dramatic change to Cheryl's lifestyle.

She explained: "I used to live on take-away food. I loved Indian meals and I'd always go for a Korma which is worst for calories.

"I was also out every weekend. I drank a lot of alcopops and cider, all loaded with sugar - that had to stop."

Cheryl was so committed to her new healthier eating plan that she would take her calculator shopping with her so she could work out the nutritional value of everything she was buying.

She said: 'Checking all the labels for the saturated fat, calorie, and salt content taught me how to make healthier food choices."

After five months, Cheryl had lost more than a stone and a half, and was well on her way to reaching her target weight. But then came an unexpected announcement.

Cheryl said: "In May 2007 I found out I was pregnant with our first baby.".

While some women would have embraced the chance to ditch the diet and 'eat for two,' Cheryl managed to stick to her new good eating habits.

She said: "I stopped going to the classes, but continued to eat well - for me and the baby."

Little Evan was born in January last year and six weeks later, Cheryl got the green light from her GP to go back to her Weight Watchers class. She was delighted to discover she'd only put on a few pounds during her pregnancy.

She said: "The meetings were great for giving me that bit of extra support and for swapping tips and recipes."

Cheryl reached her target weight of 10 stone 6lbs in November 2008 and has since lost another 4lbs.

In June this year, Cheryl and her dream size 10 wedding dress jetted back to the Dominican Republic for her fairytale wedding.

She said: "If I'd still been fat, finding a dress would have been my worst nightmare.

"It was fantastic walking up the aisle. I felt like a princess."

For more information, contact www.weightwatchers.co.uk

CHERYL HILL

AGE: 27

LIVES: Glasgow

OCCUPATION: Child Development Officer

HEIGHT: 5ft 4in

BEFORE: 13 stone 2

DRESS SIZE: 16

AFTER: 10 stone 2

DRESS SIZE: 10/12

WEIGHT LOSS: Three stone

CAPTION(S):

BEFORE: Cheryl had piled on the pounds