Planning our wedding was so exciting – right up to the moment when my fiancé, Andy, said
that it was probably time to choose a photographer. Suddenly, I had visions of me in an
unforgiving white dress, self-consciously posing for the camera with all eyes on me –
what a nightmare! Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have thought twice about posing for photos,
but as my weight had gone up over the years, I’d lost that happy, carefree me. And with
a baby due two months before the wedding, I worried that pregnancy weight could knock
my confidence further. ‘Let’s not bother with a professional photographer,’ I said. Andy
looked baffled. ‘I thought that’s just what you have on your wedding day. But if you don’t
really want one...’ The look on my face told him all he needed to know and, in the end, we
compromised on a cheap deal to have a few group photos with all of our guests. When
I told my maid of honour, my sister-in-law Lisa-Marie, she was more forthright. ‘One day,
you’ll regret not having any proper pictures of your wedding,’ she said. I wasn’t being
swayed. ‘I know you’re only thinking of me,’ I replied, ‘but I’m never going to want to look
at them, so it’s a complete waste of money.’Once, I’d pulled out of a friend’s wedding reception at the last minute, after standing in front
of the mirror for ages telling myself there was no way I could face it. Bailing out of social
events had become a bit of a habit over the last few years, to the point that the invitations
were starting to dwindle. And on the rare occasions I did go out, afterwards I was poised
to quickly untag myself in any pictures that appeared on social media. Now, on the morning
of our wedding, with our two-month-old daughter, Kaycie, napping in her carrier, I stood
in front of the mirror once again, feeling dismayed at the sight of me in my strapless white
dress. If I hadn’t been about to marry the man who’d always stood by me, I’m not sure
I could have shown up then, either. I took a deep breath, told myself, ‘Come on, Hayley’,Meet Hayley
Hayley Cook, 30, is a
development manager and
Slimming World’s Miss Slinky- She lives in Didcot,
Oxfordshire, with her husband,
Andy, and their two children,
Kaycie, two, and Archie, one
Height: 5ft 8ins
Starting weight: 16st 5½lbs
Weight now: 9st 11½lbsWEIGHT LOST:
6st 8lbsHayley is a member of Laura Dix’s
Slimming World group in DidcotHow
Hayley
blossomed
>Gone are the days when Hayley Cook would do anything
to avoid the camera. Since losing more than 6½st, she’s
rediscovered her confidence, and is loving life as an
energetic mum and Slimming World’s Miss Slinky 2019
SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 25real-life cover star