Obese 21 stone bride who was horrified by her wedding pictures dropped seven dress sizes after hubby gave up his dream car to buy her a gastric band

AN OBESE bride who was horrified at her own wedding pictures dropped almost half her body weight after her husband gave up his chance of owning his dream car to buy

her a £5,000 gastric band for Christmas.

When Gemma Daka, now 28, of Dudley in the West Midlands, married the love of her life, Flamur Daka, 39, in August 2013 she was a massive size 24 and weighed 21 stone.

She would binge on fast food four times a week and supplement her full English breakfast with two chocolate bars and a packet of biscuits every day.

Despite her weight she failed to qualify for NHS funding because at 47.2, her BMI was less than the 50 minimum.

So Gemma – mum to Maisie, now ten, and Bella, now seven – was at her biggest when she tied the knot at St Thomas and St Luke Church in Dudley.

But after the happiest day of her life, Gemma was horrified when she saw the wedding snaps and compared herself to “a whale in a gown”.

Despairing over her weight, she even hit out at Flam, wrongly accusing him of ogling slimmer women, as her self-esteem plummeted.

Eventually, Flam offered his wife a lifeline – £4,500 he had saved up for a Mercedes, to spend on surgery.

In December 2013, she underwent hour-and-a-half long gastric band surgery at Dolan Park Hospital in Birmingham.

Within 13 months, she’d lost 10 stone and is now half the woman he married.

Now a slim size 10-12, Gemma, who is eternally grateful to Flam, beamed:  “He has a whole new wife.

“On my wedding day, I forgot all about my bulging bingo wings. Then we went on honeymoon to Lanzarote and it was all sand, sea and you-know-what…

“But when I came home, I saw the professional photos.

“I was disgusted. I told Flam, ‘I look absolutely horrendous. Like a whale’.”

Gemma, who has been with Flam for six years, packed the photos in a box and hid them away.

But her shame still didn’t stop her from overeating.

Gemma, who works at a bar, adored junk food and would gorge on McDonald’s four times a week.

A full English was a morning ritual, too.

“I’d have a couple of Wispa bars and a pack of biscuits, eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms and tomatoes every morning,” she recalled. “Every time I tried to diet, I’d fall off the wagon.”

She admitted she was bullied by strangers, though, because of her bulk.

On girls’ nights out with her size 12 friends, she was subjected to cruel taunts.

“My friends would wear bodycon, size 12 dresses and would look fab,” she said. “I wore jeans and a blazer it was obvious I was the odd one out.”She recalled on one occasion, a man described her as a “fat cow eating a burger,” which really hurt.

“I didn’t blame my pretty pals, it wasn’t their fault,” she continued. “But I was sick of my size. My calves were so big I couldn’t fit them into wellies.

“I couldn’t bear to go clothes shopping, because everything in my size looked like a tent.”

Flam, a delivery driver, knew how unhappy she was – especially as her depressed mood caused them to argue.

“I would accuse him of eyeing up slim women,” she admitted. “It wasn’t true but my self-esteem was so low, I couldn’t help it.”

In September 2013, in tears, Flam offered a solution – £4,500 to go private.

Just one week later, she had the operation.

Afterwards, she filled up on shakes.

A week after surgery, she had lost a stone and by May 2014, she had bought her first outfit from the high-street – a size 14 dress for a wedding.

Then, in August 2014, she bought a bikini.

Now she has lost 10 stone and weighs 10 stone 6.

She’s also tried on her old wedding dress – and was amazed by the difference.

“I put it on and I laced it as tight as it would go and I still had to hold it up. That felt amazing,” she said.

Now Gemma can eat solids, although she can only manage tiny portions.

“My life’s changed,” she smiled. “My husband has me back – and he couldn’t be happier.”

Earlier this month a Scottish super slimmer posed with her giant pants after losing seven stone using Joe Wicks workouts.