Telford duo’s 10st weight loss scores them a place at Slimming World finals and congratulations from a rugby legend

Two women from Telford say they now feel great on the inside and out after losing more than 10st between them to reach the semi-finals of a competition to find the Slimming World’s most inspiring female members.

And they celebrated their incredible achievement with former England rugby international James Haskell, who described the pair as a ‘role models’.

Kelly Nurse, 39, who lost 4st 13.5lbs and Carla Smith, 41, who lost 5st 1.5lbs were two of just 42 women to secure a place at the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2025 competition, held at Slimming World’s head office in Derbyshire.                                             

Kelly, who slimmed from 14st 5.5slbs to 9st 6lbs, earned her place at the semi-finals after the members of her group in St Georges & Priorslee voted for her to represent them nationally. She says: “Before I joined Slimming World, I felt stuck. My weight was affecting me on the inside and out – it impacted my health and the way I felt about myself. My confidence was low and I was self-conscious about my size, but I didn’t know how to change things.  

“It was having a stroke and other health issues that were having a big impact on my life that jolted me into doing something about it. Finding Slimming World was a turning point. I didn’t realise then that it would be the best decision I’d ever make.  

“I discovered a way of eating that worked for me and my life – it wasn’t like a diet at all and I couldn’t believe it when I lost weight in my first week. I didn’t have to give up the meals I loved, old favourites like roast dinners, curries and cooked breakfasts were still on the menu, just cooked in a healthier way. I started trimming the fat off meat and using low-calorie cooking spray instead of oil, for instance. It wasn’t long before people started noticing and that gave me the motivation to keep going.”

Kelly says the support of her Slimming World group kept her motivation high too: “My Slimming World group and my consultant Jodie have been incredible. The support, ideas and encouragement from everyone each week helped me believe I could do this. Going to the group each week was a reset for me, and they’ve been there for me every step of the way. Each week we’d talk about any challenges we had coming up or share new recipes we’d tried, and I learned so much – about food, and about myself and my own relationship with food.”  

As Carla started to lose weight she began to think about becoming more active. She says: “My consultant Jodie would often talk about Slimming World’s activity support programme and how important activity was for your overall health. As I lost weight and felt more confident, I decided to give it a go. I started by walking more and doing light exercise at home, which encouraged me to start the Couch to 5k. I also joined my local parkrun (Telford) and now I run 4 times a week. I’ve ran races for charities medals and for fun. I find it really helps me mentally and emotionally too.”  

James, who played for England in two Rugby World Cups and earned 77 caps for England, is known for promoting mental and physical wellbeing and was full of admiration for the duo’s journey. He said: “Carla and Kelly have done something truly inspiring. They’ve taken control of their health, built their confidence and developed life-long healthy habits. It shows that with the right support and mindset, you can achieve the things you set out to. They’ve become stronger – physically and mentally – and for that they’re both real role models.”  

Jodie Gibney who runs the groups that Carla and Kelly attend says she is so proud of what they’ve achieved she says: “Carla and Kelly are both stars and watching their journeys has been a privilege. They’ve not just lost weight, they’ve grown in confidence and self-belief. They’re both a huge support to others in group and brilliant examples of what can be achieved. Losing weight isn’t easy, we know that, and support plays a huge role in people’s motivation and success.

"Whether you are just starting your journey, need some extra support to develop healthy eating, or you’ve been a member before, we’ve made some exciting new changes at our groups and I’d love to welcome anyone to pop along to our group at Brookside Central Community Centre every Friday morning at 9.30am or 11am or you can call me on 075419 25454 to find out more.”