A mum-of-two who lost a staggering eight stone in the hope that the NHS would give her breast reduction surgery has been left 'in agony' after being refused the operation.
Marie Pickstock, 44, 'begged' medics to help her reduce the size of her 44m boobs after she was left barely able to walk because of their size.
After being told to lose weight in order to be considered for the £7,000 surgery, Marie embarked on a two-and-a-half year weight loss regime which saw her shrink from 22 stone to just 13.
However, despite her dramatic weight-loss, she has now been told there are no 'exceptional clinical circumstances' for her to have the surgery on the NHS.
Speaking to the Sun, Marie, of Lancing, West Sussex, said her breasts were 'ruining her life'.
"I feel horrible," she said. "I feel really let down by the NHS because I stuck to my side of the bargain. The doctor said I had to help myself first, which I have done. So why won't they give me a breast reduction?"
Marie told the paper she had 'saved the taxpayer thousands' by losing weight through dieting, rather than asking for a gastric band to be fitted.
A spokesman from her local heath authority, NHS West Sussex, said they appreciated it was 'disappointing' for Marie after her weight loss, but that 'a patient's weight is not taken into consideration as part of this process'.