A Norfolk mother who was told she could lose her sight has shed 16 stone and been named Slimming World’s Greatest Loser 2024. Joanne Kiddell, 48, weighed 27 stone 9 lbs before joining the slimming group, but has dropped to 11 stone 6½ lbs.
Joanne, a social worker from Norwich, was diagnosed with intracranial hypertension in 2019 – a condition that can cause blindness. The diagnosis was the wake-up call she needed. “I knew I had to make a change if I wanted to live to see my grandkids grow up,” she said.
The mother of two described herself as an “emotional eater” who had struggled with her weight since childhood. Previous attempts to lose weight had failed because she “wasn’t in the right mindset”. But this time, with the threat of losing her sight, she stuck to the Slimming World plan.
Joanne now no longer needs medication for her condition, which has gone into remission. She exercises using a bike and at a local gym, and says her mobility has “improved tenfold”. She has gone from a size 32 dress to a size 10.
“I love shopping for clothes now and being more adventurous with fashion,” she said. “I can do all the things with my granddaughters, Charlotte and Grace, I missed out on with my own children, like swimming.”
