A mother who began uncontrollably comfort eating when her son was diagnosed with cancer has revealed how she lost a huge 17 stone—and the lifestyle changes she’s made to maintain her new figure. 

Rachel Pashley tipped the scales at 30st 13lbs at her heaviest, and wore a size 32. 

She admits that she had always been ‘curvy’, and was wearing a size 16 when her son Jenson, who is now 12, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma when he was a toddler.

Neuroblastoma is a rare childhood cancer which affects the nerves, and only 100 children under the age of 14 are diagnosed with it each year in the UK. 

The semi-permanent make-up artist, who lives in Brighton, says the diagnosis was the ‘turning point’ as she turned to food for comfort. 

She was soon spending £100 a week on takeaways as she didn’t have time to cook due to hospital appointments.

Ms Pashley said: ‘That period was horrendous. It was 18 months’ worth of treatment, sitting in a hospital room and massively comfort eating.

‘He went into intensive care, and that was the turning point. I ate absolute crap.

Rachel Pashley was inspired to lose weight after she comfort ate during her son’s cancer battle

Ms Pashley underwent a gastric bypass operation in May 2021 

‘It was a family-sized chocolate bar every night on the way home from the hospital.

‘I’d have a full English for breakfast, a meal deal from Co-Op, chocolate and a share bag of crisps for lunch.

‘We had takeaways six days a week and I never cooked. If I did, it was freezer food.

‘There were a lot of kebabs and Domino’s. The delivery driver knew us.

‘Now, I’m really into nutrition and cooking. We haven’t had a takeaway at all this year and we’re really proud of ourselves.’

In May 2021, Ms Pashley decided that the only way to get her weight under control was to have bariatric surgery, and paid £12,500 for a gastric bypass. 

Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure in which surgeons reroute the intestine to a small stomach pouch which shrinks the stomach. 

Since the op, she has shrunk down to 12st and a wears a size 12—two sizes less than the 16 she was originally aiming for—and makes an effort to work out four times a week.

The mother-of-two didn’t turn to Mounjaro to lose weight, she took more drastic action

To continue her weight loss journey she has started working out four times a week 

In January 2025 she paid another £12,000 to have an arm and breast lift, and she plans to complete her look with a tummy tuck in September.

Ms Pashley added: ‘I remember the day when I was walking to the shop for some binge eating food because I’d had a really bad day and was at my heaviest, and I was crying my eyes out.

‘I bumped into someone I used to work with, and she said she’d had weight loss surgery and it was the most amazing thing she’d ever done, so I went home and booked a consultation.

‘When I was on the journey, I just wanted to get back to a size 16, but I kept going.

‘I fit into a small skirt in Zara now, and it feels amazing because I never thought I’d get to this point.’

But her journey wasn’t all smooth sailing, and she remembers the fat-shaming comments hurled at her both in real life, and online where she has been sharing her weight loss journey to inspire others

She said: ‘Someone once told me to go and eat another sausage roll.

‘And online, I tried to do plus-sized fashion, and people would say I could barely breathe trying on clothes. It was horrible.

Ms Pashley is delighted to be able to do activities with her two sons

Ms Pashley’s weight got out of control when she began comfort eating ten years ago 

‘Now, people can’t believe how much I’ve changed.

‘In Aldi, I bumped into a girl I used to work with and said hello, and she completely blanked me.

‘Then she messaged me asking if that was me, and she didn’t recognise me. It feels amazing.’

However, the best part of Ms Pashley’s health overhaul has been getting out and about with Jenson and her other son, 13-year-old Ethan. 

She said: ‘My sons love rollercoasters,’ Rachel, from Brighton, told What’s the Jam.

‘We went to a theme park and I realised that I couldn’t go on the ride, so my friend had to go on with my kids.

‘I couldn’t walk up the stairs, and I was always too tired, so I’d take my kids to breakfast club and go back to bed.

‘I couldn’t run around after my children.

In September she will undergo a tummy tuck to complete her transformation 

She loves being more present for her kids 

 ‘We never went on bike rides, we never did anything.

‘Now, we can do anything, bike rides, theme parks, days out in London, days at the gym and swimming.

‘We’ve been to Disneyland Paris, and I didn’t have to worry about getting on the rides. It was amazing.

‘I was really depressed before and struggled with buying clothing, but I’m so much more confident now.

‘The best part of this journey isn’t the weight loss, it’s getting my life back.

‘I can finally be present for my boys, enjoy days out, and feel proud of the woman I’ve become.’

‘I used to eat rubbish all day and barely move, I just didn’t have the energy.

‘Now, I fuel my body with real food, I move every day, and I finally feel like I’m living, not just existing.’