IVF mum-of-two wants to help others lose weight

Marie Hooper, before embarking on the weight loss journey to enable her to take IVF treatments

Marie Hooper of Darnall, who lost almost six stone to allow her to go through multiple IVF treatments, said she understands that many would struggle with their weight and often find themselves to be at a loss like she once was.

Now a mother of two beautiful boys, the 33-year-old former hairdresser said this was the reason why she decided to become a Slimming World consultant, as it had given her the support and guidance she needed to get to where she is now.

“I just started my maternity then and I decided I didn’t want to do hairdressing anymore and I told my mum, I don’t know what I’m going to do because hairdressing was all I ever have done.

Marie Hooper and the leaflets she distributed around Sheffield.

“So, I sat in tears and my mum came round and she said, ‘You know Slimming World inside out, why don’t you think about coming as a consultant? I thought that was perfect,” she said.

Mrs Hooper had previously made national headlines for losing a massive amount of weight in the space of five years just to be able to take IVF treatments and get pregnant. She weighed 18st then.

The decision was made after she found out she couldn’t conceive naturally, as her husband had Azoospermia, a condition where he was not issuing the vital sperm cells necessary to fertilise an egg and produce an embryo.

She said it has always been her passion to help others, especially when her IVF journey had inspired other women to do the same.

“I’ve been through so much whilst doing Slimming World and I can help people when they struggle, so I can guide them.

“I want to help as many people as I can because this was the reason I opened that blog on my IVF journey to the public.

“I want to be able to help people to become healthier and happier,” she said.

Mrs Hooper said she had been busy distributing leaflets to the public for the past week, before her class starts on Thursday (November 21).

Marie and her helpers distributing leaflets.

“We had distributed over 3000 leaflets within four days with the help of my husband, my parents, my cousin and my best friend,” she said, adding that she wanted to reach out to as many people as she could.

Her once-a-week class will be held every Thursday at Victoria Methodist Church, on Stafford Road from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

She can be followed on her Facebook page called ‘Me and my IVF Journey by Marie Hooper’