Sale woman who lost 6st runs Manchester and London marathons

Francesca Bird ran the marathon on Sunday, April 23 in the capital to raise money for Cancer Research UK as well as raise awareness of the importance of keeping a healthy weight.

The 34-year-old has lost 5st 11.5lbs since August 2019 and ran the marathon representing Slimming World, a weight loss organisation.

Francesca was part of a 14-person group representing the organisation who were raising money for raising money for Cancer Research UK, the Irish Cancer Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, Slimming World’s official charity partners.

She had struggled with her weight and said she will always remember the "heartbreaking feeling" of wearing clothes in a larger size than her sister who was nine-months pregnant.

Francesca said she experienced self-loathing before her weight loss (Image: Slimming World)

Francesca said of her weight: "After worrying about my weight for a while, I was diagnosed with swelling on my brain which was causing me migraines and eyesight problems - idiopathic intracranial hypertension – and discovered it was very likely weight related."

She joined Slimming World in 2019 and said the group means "so much" to her.

She said: "I look forward to every Thursday night – I feel welcome, safe, and not judged for how my week has gone, and without fail I leave feeling inspired and ready to have a great week. It’s a lot of fun actually."

Francesca after the Manchester Marathon last weekend (Image: Slimming World)

For Francesca, raising money for cancer research by running the London Marathon was personal to her.

She said: "My mum is one of my biggest inspirations and has been treated for three types of cancer in her lifetime.

"I had a minor cancer scare myself last year and it was a wakeup call that it really does happen to anyone, at any time, and without the life-saving research and treatment my mum would not be here today.

"Raising money for Cancer Research UK can help make a real difference."