Mum who lost 10 stones beats the Great North Run challenge

Jen Mellor put on her trainers and started her running journey after she shed almost half her body weight in less than a year.

The story of how she turned her life around through joining Slimming World and met the love of her life has given hope to thousands of her followers on her Internet blog site.

She was joined in tackling the 13 mile run by her partner Stuart Eggleshaw, another celebrated slimmer from Kirkby .

Now at her target weight of a sprightly 12 stones, she feels she is ready for anything.

Jen said: “I had a bad relationship with my ex-husband and I became depressed.

“I joined Slimming World to lose weight because I needed the confidence. I carried on and ended up losing 10 stones in a year without exercise.”

During her weight loss journey Jen met up Stuart, who hit the headlines after he lost 22 stones in 16 months.

She said: ““Stuart makes me feel like a million dollars, and he’s supported me every step of my weight loss journey.

He lost a massive amount of weight himself, so I know that he understood my struggle.”

Jen, a full time carer said: “I gave myself 20 weeks to prepare for the run. I had never run anywhere before, so I built it up gradually, running around King’s Mill reservoir at first too build up my confidence to attempt the 13.1 miles of the Great North Run.”

Jen writes a popular blog www.justaveragejen.com which has over 18,000 followers on Facebook.

Jen has chosen the Samaritans as her charity for the event. She said: “I have always been open about my depression and I have phoned them up in the past when I have had suicidal thoughts. It is a charity close to my heart.” You can sponsor her on www.justgiving.com/justaveragejen