IT'S A weight off her mind and body as Grace Reed, 64, slimmed down to fit into the wedding dress she wore four decades ago.
She has battled over three years to shed 34 kilos (five stone, five lbs) and has achieved an anniversary dream.
Age was no excuse for Grace from The Circuit, Wilmslow, spurred on by her forthcoming ruby wedding day.
Weighing in at 17 stone two pounds, Grace started her challenge in January 2002.
"Well, I had an awful lot to lose", she comments on the time she gave herself to shed the equivalent of 34 bags of sugar.
Did husband Geoffrey and family agree with her self-diagnosis?
"He wouldn't have told me", she remarks.
"He knows it has to come from the person wanting to lose the weight.
"But they were very supportive all the way through."
Indeed Geoffrey has helped Grace by taking on board the new diet regime by cooking from the weight watchers cookbook, ironically also dropping a few pounds in the process.
When the 40th anniversary party arrived Grace had shed 50 pounds and was able to slip into the treasured dress, but still chose to carry on with the diet.
"I knew I hadn't got to my goal [weight] and still had more pounds to lose before I reached the target."
Grace is now slimmer than she was on her wedding day and has been able to sport a swimsuit with no embarrassment on the romantic trip she and Geoffrey took to Egypt to celebrate 40 years of marriage earlier this year.
Delighted with her new figure she said: "I feel 15 years younger and can catch the grand-children.
"Everyone is very complimentary."
But Weight Watchers won't be losing their latest svelte star who has been placed on a pedestal as encouragement to others and to show you're never too old to slim.
"I am going to continue going as it's essential to motivate yourself to stay at the new weight.
"Now I'm at my target weight, I can also stay as a free member", she adds.
