Obese Woman Sheds Half Her Body Weight After Fiancé Leaves Her, Wins Miss Great Britain 2020

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After her fiancé called off their wedding due to her weight gain, 26-year-old Brit Jen Wilkinson went ahead and lost over 100 pounds (approx. 45 kg). But a complete diet and lifestyle overhaul wasn’t enough for Jen; she went on to win a coveted beauty title for her achievement: she was crowned Miss Great Britain 2020.

As per the Daily Mail, Jen’s “wake-up call” occurred back in 2017 when she began struggling to fit into her clothes. When her engagement to her then-fiancé, with whom Jen shared her first serious relationship, also broke down, Jen knew that something needed to change.

“I would eat huge portions of pasta or pizza then a family-size chocolate bar,” Jen explained, as per the Mirror. “At weekends, we'd turn into virtual recluses, sitting on the sofa in our pyjamas eating takeaways.”

“The day he left I thought my world had ended,” Jen continued. “I cried for weeks and used food as my comfort. But it ended up being the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Heartbroken Jen, an aviation administrator from Ulceby in Lincolnshire, embarked upon a fitness journey that resulted in a healthy, gradual loss of 112 pounds (approx. 51 kg) over a two-year period. She started cycling to work and attending the gym up to five times a week with a focus on running and weightlifting.

The young singleton also began paying greater attention to food labels, swapping junk food for healthy alternatives. The pounds melted off.

Feeling beautiful and confident in the new body she had worked so hard for, Jen entered a local beauty pageant and won. She was named Miss Scunthorpe before competing for the title of Miss England in 2018, triumphantly finishing as first runner-up.

Jen is not the only winner in her family. As per Lad Bible, Jen’s twin brother, Sam Atkin, is a runner who competed on behalf of Great Britain in the 3,000-meter race at the 2019 European Indoor Championships.

Jen took a break from beauty pageants after finding love again. The reformed Jen reunited with an old school acquaintance, Chris Wilkinson, fell in love, and got married in a stunning ceremony surrounded by friends and family.

Wishing to embark upon one last hurrah in the pageant world, Jen entered, and won, the United Kingdom’s longest-running beauty pageant, “Miss Great Britain.” Jen was crowned the 75th annual pageant winner at a glitzy ceremony in Leicester, England, on Feb. 21, 2020.

“It was such a shock,” Jen exclaimed, as per the Daily Mail. “[T]hree years ago I would never ever [have] expected to be winning Miss GB. Hard work really does pay off.”

“Although my body has changed so much,” Jen added, as per the Mirror, “I don’t think my personality has, and I think that’s really helped me. The judges were able to see what kind of person I really am.”

The Miss Great Britain pageant attracts “an eclectic mix of independent and empowered women,” National Director of Miss Great Britain Kate Solomons told the Daily Mail. “There were 45 Miss Great Britain finalists,”

Jen added, “and I was lucky to not only win the personality award but take home the crown and title of Miss Great Britain 2020.”

“It felt absolutely incredible,” she affirmed. “I’m over the moon.”

Jen’s talents don’t end there; the 26-year-old is also a country singer. She released her very first single in 2018 and says she has “so much in the pipeline” for her reign as Miss Great Britain 2020, including the release of her next country single in the spring.

Beside personal projects, and as part of her role as Miss Great Britain 2020, Jen has also dedicated time to vital advocacy work. Jen and the other pageant contestants advocate on behalf of two British charities: Cancer Research UK, and Alex’s Wish supporting Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The 2020 pageant raised an awesome 42,000 pounds (US$54,000) for both causes.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate her journey on Jan. 16, 2020, Jen posted an encouraging message to her followers: “Exercise is the most underrated and under-utilised medicine in the whole world. I really hope I can inspire people to get more active, not just for the outside but the inside, too.”