SUPER slimmer Claire Bond lost an incredible five stone — and now she's helping others do the same.

The 40-year-old, from Horwich, is opening her own WeightWatchers group at Deane Golf Club in January to help inspire others who want to lose weight.

Claire, who lost the weight when she joined a WeightWatchers group, said she had always struggled to eat less as a child and felt self-conscious about “being the chunkier one on the school photo.”

Her love of food became worse at college when fast food was an easy option. She said: “Once nights out and alcohol were added into the equation, the pounds soon piled on."

She first joined a WeightWatchers group around her 19th birthday and found the eating system worked — but she fell off the wagon and the yo-yoing pattern over the years meant she never reached her goal weight.

When her now husband Phil proposed on holiday in 2005, Claire had the best possible motivation for shedding the pounds.

She said: “The thought of wearing a wedding dress filled me with horror. After tears in the changing room, struggling to squeeze myself into size 22/24 cropped trousers for our holiday, I decided there was no way I would be visiting bridal shops.”

Phil and Claire moved into their new home in Horwich and set their sights on a Summer wedding in 2006.

She said: “Something finally snapped and I decided enough was enough so returned to the WeightWatchers’ meeting at Horwich RMI in January, 2006, weighing 15 stone 12lb."

The eating plan there not only helped her reclaim control over her "mindless eating”, but she soon began to lose weight. Phil was very supportive and Claire — who had hated exercise at school — even started exercising at home with a fitness DVD.

When the time came round for wedding dress shopping, Claire — by now three stone lighter — found a beautiful size 16 dress that “fitted perfectly.” After a fabulous wedding, the happy couple went on honeymoon to Spain with Claire now confident in a bikini.

When she returned, she stuck to the eating plan and eventually reached her goal weight of 10 stone 10 lb.

Not only did she start running her own WeightWatchers’ classes in Westhoughton and Horwich, but on Christmas Day in 2013, after her second IVF cycle, she gave birth to a son, Daniel.

Now back on her weight-loss journey and close to her target weight once more, Claire is keen to share her enthusiasm for the successful eating system.

She added: “I just love seeing people’s delight at losing weight and changing their lives, just like I changed mine. And I’m really looking forward to helping new members at the Deane meetings.”

The new Deane group meets each Thursday at 10am and 6pm. For more information call 07935 245448.