Bowls star and former York chocolate taster Helen Walker is only half the person she was - and she's every reason to be proud of it.

International bowler Helen Walker pictured above in 1997, when she weighed 25 stone.

The new slimline Helen playing in Belfast last night

Helen, 49, has shed a staggering twelve and a half stones over the past two years, after first undergoing surgery and then adopting a steady, "little-but-often" diet.

"I've had a new lease of life, and feel as if I've been born again," said Helen, of Jamieson Terrace, South Bank. "It's wonderful."

And her success was topped this week on the bowling rink when she played a key role in the England women's team's victories over Ireland and Wales in the home international series.

Helen tipped the scales at 24 stone nine pounds when she won the national indoor fours title at Stevenage in 1993, and made her England debut three years later. Now her weight has levelled out at just 12 stones, and she has recently invested in a new wardrobe.

Over a sixteen-month spell, her vital statistics changed dramatically from a hefty 54-54-66 to a modest 40-34-44, and she is proud to announce that her bra size has reduced from a C cup to an A cup. When she turned up in Belfast on Monday for the start of the tournament, her team-mates did not recognise her. "For the first time in my life, I'm able to run after my woods, and it's great occasionally to jump into the air, with both feet leaving the ground."

Helen used to work at Terry's of York, but she is quick to point out that her size was not related to her occupation. "When we tasted the products, we were always told not to swallow. I had a serious weight problem from the age of six, so I was never able to run about. That's why I feel so great now. I'm bowling better than ever." Helen, assistant secretary of the York & District Indoor Bowls Club in Dringhouses, thanked her clubmates, Linda Parker and Jeanette Coulson, for their support.

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