Size matters

Five women talk about their battle with weight and how it has affected their lives, loves and expectations for the future. Some names have been changed to protect their identities

Linda, 49
'Food became synonymous with comfort.'

Jayne, 33
'I lost all self-esteem and sometimes contemplated suicide.'

Carol, 49
'At my heaviest, I was 26 stone.'

Susanne, 43
'I ballooned on steriods.'

Louise, 27
'People...thought I was pregnant.'