LINGERIE tycoon Michelle Mone has said that being overweight is like self-abuse, as she discussed her own weight loss struggles.
The glamorous businesswoman, 48, said that she was “abusing" herself when she was at her heaviest weight and said she was left feeling depressed.
At the peak of her weight gain, Michelle reached a size 22 due to frequent snacking, but has now shed eight stone and is a size 10.
She said her weight gain left her at an all-time low, but her parents helped to support her shedding the pounds.
Michelle spoke to the Daily Mail about how the weight started to creep on in 2012, following the divorce from her first husband, Michael.
She said: “I was at my heaviest and had three children running around me and [I was] launching Ultimo around the world. I was getting bigger and bigger.
“I was abusing myself. I was on antidepressants from the doctor. It was awful.”
Thankfully, supportive parents Duncan, 70, and Isabel, 71, helped raise her from her depression and showed her she needed to shed the weight “for herself”.
She added: “My mum and dad used to be in tears. My dad wrote me heartfelt letters writing, ‘Please Michelle just do it for yourself I’m begging’.”
She said her mum would urge her to stop feeling sorry for herself and said she would feel more upset if she couldn’t provide for her kids.
Spurred on by their words, Michelle overhauled her lifestyle and managed to shift the pounds.
In order to help inspire her to make healthy choices, she recently revealed she would stick pictures of herself at her heaviest around the kitchen, and pose for naked selfies.
She told the Mirror: “Weight loss is all about your mindset. For many years I put pictures of myself that I didn’t like in the kitchen, it put me off snacking.
“I’ve finally got to know my body and feel amazing in skinny jeans. I just need to be careful I don’t put it all back on now I’m hanging around the house all day.”
She now compares her body to a business with the mentality that she would not destroy her business, so she should also not destroy her body.
Michelle, who founded underwear brand Ultimo in 1996, and is thought to be worth around £50 million, is currently self-isolating with fiancé Doug Barrowman during the coronavirus pandemic.
She admitted she has been left “devastated” that she has had to postpone her wedding, which was due to take place this week.
When she first met billionaire Doug, she admitted she was put off by his wealth, and said she was not looking to get into a serious relationship as she’s “independent”.
Doug is the founder and chairman of the Knox Group of Companies, which is worth a staggering £3billion, and he owns six homes, two superyachts, 15 cars and a private jet.
However, she soon had a change of heart after being won over by his “sense of fun”.
Their wedding will now take place in August, and they will honeymoon to the far east.
At her target size 10, she now says she is “wedding ready” after losing her final 11 pounds over the past few months.
Sharing a beautiful selfie on Instagram, she recently wrote: “After 7 years I've finally made my target weight!! There is only one way to do it...eat less, eat healthy & work out 1 hour a day...
“Finally lost my last 11ibs in the past few months. Size 10 & wedding ready”.
The businesswoman said in 2017 that she had lost over half a stone since becoming a vegetarian.
She has also done a skin tightening with a celebrity cosmetic medic after shedding the pounds.
This follows Michelle hinting to The Sun that she might be joining Dragons’ Den, after years of turning it down despite big money offers.
She said: “In the past, I've been offered Dragons' Den and I've turned it down due to business commitments.
“But I just feel that after this whole coronavirus crisis is over, we need to be lifted up as individuals — we need to feel there is a real purpose in life and what we're going to do with our lives.
“I might be open to something that might help to give people inspiration.”
Most read in Celebrity
Previously, Michelle Mone showed off the results of her 11lbs weight loss on luxury Maldives holiday.
And Michelle's daughter, 19, won an admirer as Born Famous viewers joke unemployed Glasgow teen is ‘in love’ with her.
