SHE is half the woman she used to be – and she is very happy about it.

Lynne Rigby has shed 74kg in body weight and dropped from a 32 dress size to a 16 in less than 18 months.

But the Basingstoke grandmother is not stopping there as she makes the final push in a remarkable transformation which she says has given her a new lease of life.

The 52-year-old mother was previously so dangerously overweight that she suffered a string of health complications including soaring blood pressure and agonising headaches.

Things came to a head on her 51st birthday in August last year when she reached 154kg (24stone 3lbs) and was struggling to fit into a pair of size 32 trousers.

The former HR manager was also receiving regular lumber punctures to relieve intracranial tension – fluid building up inside her skull due to the weight.

Lynne, who has five grandchildren and three grown-up children, said: “It was the turning point.

“I was struggling to get upstairs or out of the bath and I had no energy. It got to a stage where I thought I had to do something and I just went for it.”

Since then, she has launched an intensive fitness regime which has involved her giving up work to focus solely on improving her health.

She has joined Basingstoke Aquadrome, where she exercises up to six times a week, and has adopted a healthy, low fat diet.

One of her favourites included the gym's fat burning class with a cardiovascular work out to get the heart going and a TRX class to improve core strength.

Her diet includes eating cereal or porridge for breakfast and plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Now the intracranial tension is easing and she no longer takes high blood pressure tablets.

She is now 80kg (12stone 8lbs) and hopes to lose an extra few pounds in the run up to Christmas before eventually returning to work.

She puts her transformation down to the dedication of fitness instructor and mentor James McCallion.

Lynne said: “The first time I worked out for 10 minutes, I thought I was going to have a heart attack! Now the training is a lot more intense and I have been able to build it up.

“It’s given me a new lease of life and I am healthy without the pain I used to suffer with the headaches.

“It’s still not sunk in yet but it really helps you to be more confident in yourself.”

Basingstoke and Deane Community Leisure Trust chairwoman Hazel Tilbury said: “Lynne is a true inspiration to others who want to make a positive change to their health, fitness and lifestyle.

“Basingstoke and Deane Community Leisure Trust’s facilities are there to serve all parts of the community and I am pleased that Lynne has been able to achieve her goals at one of the trust’s facilities.”