A former junk food addict who lost 14 stone thanks to a £3,000 gastric sleeve surgery has said that her family and friends barely recognise her after her dramatic weight loss.

Paige Vickers, 25, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, who used to eat two McDonald’s breakfasts a day, along with takeaways, crisps and chocolates, was 23 stone at her heaviest. 

She was mercilessly mocked at school and dubbed a ‘whale’ by cruel bullies for being ‘on the bigger side’.

But despite Paige experimenting with various diets and exercise regimes over the years, nothing shifted the weight.

Yo-yoing between 21 and 23 stone, she was caught in a vicious cycle of bingeing and dieting, often resorting to buying food from Greggs when she didn’t go to McDonald’s for breakfast. 

In a bid to change her circumstances, the retail worker researched weight-loss surgery in Turkey and decided to book a gastric sleeve operation for June last year.

A little more than a year on, and Paige has lost an incredible 14 stone, bringing her weight down to nine stone and 12 pounds, which has taken her from a size 28 to a svelte size 10.

Discussing her recent transformation, Paige said: ‘It is a shock; it’s like my partner has a new girlfriend.’

Paige Vickers (pictured), from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, weighed 23 stone at her heaviest

The 25-year-old retail worker tried various diets and exercise regimes over the years – but nothing worked 

Paige, pictured with partner Matthew Wilkinson, has lost an incredible 14 stone, going from a size 28 to a svelte size 10

Remarkable photos with boyfriend Matthew Wilkinson, 25, show her dramatic transformation post-surgery, which has also led friends and family to do double takes in the street. 

‘Even my family have said they still have to double check it’s me because they can’t get over how quickly I’ve changed,’ she added. 

‘It’s so funny the number of times I’ve been to town and I’ve walked past old friends and they haven’t even noticed it’s me. They’re gobsmacked.’

Paige says she is ‘buzzing’ about her weight loss, particularly because she was pessimistic about reaching even 14 stone. 

‘I’d tried loads of different diets, I’d tried different exercise routines. Nothing could shift it, it was just defeating.

‘My partner just wanted to stand by me through whatever. We both found each other at the right time and since then we’ve stuck by each other.’

The 25-year-old added: ‘I say we’ve stuck by each other through thick and thin. Literally.’

The couple have been together for nearly two years after meeting through mutual friends, when Paige was at her heaviest.

Paige said her transformation was so dramatic that her friends and family barely recognise her when they see her in the street

After researching weight loss methods, Paige decided to go to Turkey to have a gastric sleeve fitted for £3,000

Paige revealed that her weight loss has left her ‘buzzing’, particularly because she was pessimistic about reaching even 14 stone

Paige, who has struggled with her weight since she was a teenager, is thrilled with her new look

The retail worker added: ‘Since being a teenager I’ve always struggled with my weight.

‘I’ve always been on the bigger side. I got diagnosed with polycystic ovaries when I was 18 or 19.

She explained that the diagnosis impacted her weight, saying: ‘That took a toll on me, it started making my weight fluctuate.’

‘It [surgery] had always been in the back of my mind anyway, but after everything that I’d been through I was like, ‘No this is it now’.

‘I was really struggling with how I looked. I’d been bullied multiple times, that’s the first thing people go for in an argument. It does impact you a lot, you don’t realise it.’

She added: ‘It’d be your typical, ‘You’re fat, you’re chubby, [a] whale’. It does take a toll.’

Paige posted a TikTok video showcasing her jaw-dropping transformation, and while many were quick to congratulate her, others were less supportive.

Paige said: ‘I’m quite a sarcastic person. I think because I’ve had that much said to me over the years I’m thick skinned. 

Paige used to eat two McDonald’s breakfasts a day, along with takeaways, crisps and chocolates

She was mercilessly mocked at school and dubbed a ‘whale’ by cruel bullies for being ‘on the bigger side’

Paige was introduced to partner Matthew when she was at her heaviest – and the pair have stuck together through thick and thin

Pictured: Paige after undergoing her gastric sleeve surgery with her 25-year-old boyfriend Matthew Wilkinson  

Paige’s dramatic transformation attracted a lot of attention online, with people both congratulating her and taunting her about her weight loss 

‘Some of the comments are stupid, saying that he’s going to leave me anyway because he clearly likes bigger people, it’s a fetish.

‘That’s just your typical stuff though from trolls and it always tends to be the single men.’

The video has been viewed more than 445,000 times by users and racked up 30,500 likes.

One user wrote: ‘Omg girl you look amazing!’ Another commented: ‘Apologies didn’t watch to the end, what an investment piece. Get that lad scouting for Bournemouth.’

A third wrote: ‘A real man!! You look brilliant girl, hope you’re super proud of yourself.’ A fourth commented: ‘Impossible.’