A singer who avoided cameras because her weight had caused her confidence to plummet has revealed she’s a new woman after shedding 3st thanks to Mounjaro.
Emma Hughes, 57, from Gosport, Hampshire, once referred to herself as ‘Fat Emma’ after reaching 13st 9lbs, a weight that rendered her unrecognisable against her former 9st ‘slim’ self.
The mother, who works full-time as a programme delivery manager, tried countless diets but was only ever left feeling miserable, self-conscious, and watching the scale as she piled on the pounds.
The weight gain severely impacted her confidence, with Emma admitting she could hardly look at pictures of herself performing on stage.
‘It was hard as I’d spent a lot of my youth slim but it was getting to the point that I actually really disliked myself, hated what I saw and it was making me miserable,’ she told FEMAIL.
Deciding enough was enough, Emma, who is the lead singer of her cover band Spike & the PieMan, started using Mounjaro (a weight loss jab) alongside the NHS-backed health programme, Second Nature, seven months ago.
As a result, she has shed 3st or a staggering 19 kilos and slimmed down from a size 16 to a size 12.
Emma decided to embark on her weight loss journey after feeling ‘miserable’ at seeing pictures of herself on stage at gigs.
A singer who avoided cameras because her weight had caused her confidence to plummet has revealed she’s a new woman after shedding 3st thanks to Mounjaro
Emma Hughes, 57, from Gosport, Hampshire, once referred to herself as ‘Fat Emma’ after she reached 13st 9lbs, a weight that rendered her unrecognsible against her former 9st ‘slim’ self. Pictured before weight loss
‘I’m in a local covers band and loads of people take pictures when I’m on stage and post them on social media. All I could see was “fat Emma”,’ she admitted.
‘I was doing everything I could to lose weight. One diet I joined during lockdown helped me lose 7lbs – but then I gained that back, plus another 5lbs. I just felt like I didn’t have an off switch when it came to food.
‘My weight had crept up slowly, and then all of a sudden, I thought, I really don’t like myself. I looked in the mirror and it really was quite unpleasant.
‘Now, I’m more confident than ever and don’t ever want to go back to what I was. I shouldn’t be ashamed of my journey on Mounjaro but it comes with a lot of judgment.
‘I’ve done this through my own hard work and think it could help lots of other people struggling.’
Growing up, Emma had always been slim, weighing around nine stone. She had her first child when she was 24, and her second at 32.
It was after this time that Emma noticed her clothes starting to get tighter. She tried various diet programmes, including one that lasted for four years from 2020 to 2024 – but ended with her gaining five pounds.
Although she had what many would consider a ‘normal diet’, Emma struggled with portion control.
The mother, who works full-time as a programme delivery manager, tried countless diets but was only ever left feeling miserable, self-conscious, and watching the scale as she piled on the pounds. Pictured before weight-loss
Growing up, Emma had always been slim, weighing around nine stone. She had her first child when she was 24, and her second at 32. Pictured before she lost weight
It was after this time that Emma noticed her clothes starting to get tighter. She tried various diet programme, the longest one was four years, from 2020 to 2024. Pictured before weight-loss
‘My weight had crept up slowly, and then all of a sudden, I thought, I really don’t like myself. I looked in the mirror and it really was quite unpleasant,’ she said. Pictured before weight-loss
Seven months later and the singer has never felt better. She has now shed 3st and slimmed down from a size 16 to a size 12. Pictured after weight-loss
Breakfasts of high-fat nuts, carbohydrate-heavy buttery sandwiches for lunch and calorie-dense dinners were her norm – as well as weekly roast dinners, office croissants, and 3pm chocolate bars.
It was only after undergoing knee replacement surgery in 2022 for arthritis and not wanting to suffer further health issues associated with excess weight like type 2 diabetes and heart problems, Emma decided to take action.
She said: ‘I’ve done the weight loss companies that you go to, and I even tried one of them for about four years but it just wasn’t working for me. Initially I did OK, but I slowly slipped. I ended up heavier than when I started. It was a bit of a vicious circle. I hated my body so I ate and got bigger!
‘It made me realise my problem was not with what I eat, as these weight loss companies promote very healthy eating, but the volume of food I was eating. I’m a massive foodie and if I had a big plate, I’d always finish it.’
In September 2024, a friend told Emma about Second Nature, a weight loss programme that uses behavioural science to ‘rewire’ eating habits.
Intrigued, Emma did her research and took the plunge, signing up to the plan’s Mounjaro injections.
Starting in late September 2024, Emma was initially prescribed 2.5mg of Mounjaro, losing around 2lbs a week, before the dosage was increased to 5mg.
Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is an injectable drug originally for type 2 diabetes but now used for weight loss. It works by suppressing appetite and regulating blood sugar levels.
Now, Emma feels more confident on stage as the lead singer of her cover band Spike & the PieMan – performing hits from Queen, Blondie, The Killers and Stereophonics – and no longer dreads being photographed. Pictured after weight-loss
Now, she says her lifestyle is about balance, not restriction. She doesn’t eat breakfast, and for lunch, she has fresh soup without any bread. Pictured after weight-loss
Seven months on and Emma is 3st lighter, weighing 10st 9bs, and feels better than ever. Pictured after weight-loss
The singer said she now ‘finally feel like me’ and had started wearing tight fitting clothes again. Pictured after weight-loss
‘I couldn’t believe how much weight my friend had lost. Being honest, I had lost all faith in my ability to follow diets by this point but I thought, maybe this is something that might finally work,’ she recalled.
‘I’ve had issues with my knees since I was a child. Before the knee replacement, I was really struggling. I couldn’t even get upstairs properly, so I knew I needed to do something to bring down my weight.
‘In my first month on the medication, I did suffer with indigestion – which is a common side effect of eating too much while on Mounjaro – but I soon adapted thanks to the support of the health coaches on the programme.’
Seven months on and Emma is 3st lighter, weighing 10st 9bs, and feels better than ever.
Now, she says her lifestyle is about balance, not restriction. She doesn’t eat breakfast, and for lunch, she has fresh soup without any bread.
In the evening, she tucks into something healthy like a homemade chicken curry with ‘three tablespoons of rice, instead of an entire packet!’
‘I still eat everything I want,’ she said. ‘On a Friday evening, if we’re not playing a gig, my husband and I will sit and watch a film, and I used to get an entire bag of Maltesers and a bag of chocolate buttons, and between us we’d share them. Now I get two ramekin dishes, I put a few in each then I put them away.
‘I don’t deny myself anything. I just have it in moderation, and that psychologically, has helped me.
‘I still love food and I still have what I want, but actually, having it in sensible portions, has allowed me to continue to lose weight and to still have what I want.’
Now, Emma feels more confident on stage as the lead singer of her cover band Spike & the PieMan – performing hits from Queen, Blondie, The Killers and Stereophonics – and no longer dreads being photographed.
‘Now when I go out and gig, I’m wearing fitted t-shirt type dresses and actually I like myself, and I feel good standing up there. I’m not cringing when people take videos and pictures of me anymore.
‘I feel like me again! I’m finally happy in my own skin. I’ve spent a lot of money doing this, but I did it for my own reasons, for my own mental health and for my own physical health.
‘There’s real mixed media about weight-loss medication which is sad because I’m so proud of what I’ve done. It’s not a miracle cure, because the work has still come from me. It’s just a tool I needed and I never thought I would like myself again and I do!
‘I’m a size 12and I’m made up with that – I’ll happily stay this way for the rest of my life.’
