Daventry mum goes from 'living hell' to climbing mountains with amazing body transformation

She had asthma and knee problems and felt she was a target for teachers.

Emily, 43 on Monday, told the Daventry Express: "PE teachers to made every session a living hell for me and as soon as I didn't have to do PE I stopped and didn't start again until my late 30s.

"From the age of 18 to early 30s I drank and smoked and managed to gain a considerable amount of weight."

At her heaviest, Emily was 22 stone and wore a size 22-24, but her large frame wasn't an issue.

"I was never overly bothered by my size," she added.

"I never felt attractive or worth anything so I hid behind my weight gains as a reason why I was single."

Emily was career-driven, with no interest in settling down and having a family.

But a trip to Ibiza changed all that.

"At 28 I met my now husband on a hen do in Ibiza and that is where things started to change for me," she said.

"Roy made me feel worth more than I had ever felt before. We moved in together and after a few years I left my job. My work was taking over my life in a bad way."

Emily lost two stone and quit smoking. Soon after she fell pregnant with her first child.

She said: "After having Jacob I started trying to lose weight for our forthcoming wedding. I managed to squeeze into a size 16/18 wedding dress.

"Almost exactly 12 months to the day I had our second child Daisy, who was born the day before our first wedding anniversary. and that is when I really started to want to improve my health both physically and mentally.

"When she turned two I started kick boxing. I then joined Slimming World, got a gym membership and a personal trainer."

She lost eight stone in one year and dropped from a size 20 to a size 12.

Emily then set herself a big challenge before she turned 40.

"My PT suggested a 10km run," she added.

"I jokingly said I'd rather walk for 24 hours than run for one and so the first 100km Ultra was booked and training began."

Emily has gained and lost weight since her journey began, but she has stayed relatively consistent and now completes at least one Ultra a year.

She is well known in Daventry for her gym sessions and her long walks, regularly featured in The Gusher.

Emily also recently climbed Mount Snowdon.

Emily went on: "I'm no longer worried about what the scales say. The number on there doesn't define me and is no reflection of health in my eyes; the fact that my body and mind can continuously walk for 27 hours straight up and down hills without giving up shows me my health is good and my mind is strong.

"This year I have so far walked over 1,800 miles and I still have two Ultras left before I slow down for the winter."

She paid tribute to her husband, who has always been by her side.

Emily concluded: "Roy is my rock. He's supported me 100 per cent through my whole transformation. Obviously my training and walks take up a lot of time, but he's always there for me."