Rex Features
Britain's youngest gastric bypass patient is celebrating her trim new figure this Christmas after shedding a whopping TEN STONE.
Jeniffer Hogarth tipped the scales at 23 stone this time last year, and her family thought she was eating herself to death.
It was a stark warning from doctors that she wouldn't live to see 21 that spurred her into action - and gastric bypass surgery. Jeniffer, now 17, told the Mirror:
"If I hadn't had a bypass, I dread to think how big I'd be. "I couldn't even think of pretty Christmas party outfits as I was the size of a house. Now I can't wait to go to shops like TopShop and New Look like all my friends."
The svelte youngster also revealed she has found love since losing eight dress sizes:
"I've even found a gorgeous boyfriend. It's almost like I've been reborn. I feel amazing. I used to look like a middle-aged woman. I was putting on a stone every three months. The doctor said I was heading for a heart attack. Having surgery was the only option and it's saved my life."
Jeniffer says her weight problems began when she was bullied at school from the age of nine. She would eat oven chips for breakfast and up to 10 bags of crisps a day.
She now weighs 13st and has gone from a size 30 to 14.
Her mum Tracey, 38, said: "I couldn't be prouder of her for getting her life back on track."
Well done Jeniffer!