This Time Next Year star goes from size 20 to a body builder

A woman who was left with mounds of excess skin after shedding 5 stone has astonished viewers by becoming a bodybuilder in the space of just eight months.

Zoe Whittaker-Corcoran, 40, from Coventry, was a size 20 and 16 stone at her heaviest but managed to lose the huge amount after she changed her eating habits and started exercising.

Appearing on ITV’s This Time Next Year on Tuesday night, Zoe revealed that while was proud of her weight loss, she hated her ‘old grandma’s body’ because of the excess skin around her stomach.

In the reality show, which is fronted by Davina McCall, she vowed to have surgery to remove the skin and become a champion bodybuilder.

She astonished viewers by completing the challenge in just eight months, leaving them ‘speechless’ at her transformation.

Unrecognisable: Zoe manged to transform her body in just eight months to become a body building champion, appearing on ITV’s This Time Next Year on Tuesday night

Zoe revealed her excess skin on the show, saying it made her feel as big as she did as a size 20.

After she disappeared behind the doors, she emerged moments later wearing a skimpy bikini, showing off her new body.

Viewers were blown away, and took to Twitter to praise her hard work.

One tweeted: ‘ Wowza! Zoe’s transformation on This Time Next Year!!! What an achievement. She looks incredible.’

‘Wow!!! What a transformation! Zoe looks amazing and is such an inspiration,’ another posted. 

Viewers were left ‘speechless’ by her transformation and took to Twitter to praise her hard work

A third said: ‘Im speechless with Zoe wow !! Well done amazing [sic].’

She began gaining weight when she gave birth to her first son and put her children’s health before her own.

Zoe said: ‘Working and every day life took over and I just stopped looking after myself. A couple of years ago I started to look and think this needs to change.’ 

She confessed that she found it difficult to look at her new body, and her shame over her stomach tarnished her pride at losing five stone. 

Many even said they had ‘inspired’ them to pick up healthy eating habits

Zoe continued: ‘It makes me really sad. When I look at myself in the mirror I know how hard I’ve worked to get to this point and when I look at it makes me want to cry because this skin just sits there. 

‘To me it’s an ugly body I looked like I’ve got an old grandma’s body, sorry grandmas out there. It will never ever go back on its own naturally. I’ve worked hard so I want the body I deserve now.’

Zoe had surgery to remove the excess skin and had to weight three months before she could start training for body building competitions. 

Zoe revealed her excess skin on the show, saying it made her feel as big as she did as a size 20. She had reached 16 stone after putting her own health aside for her children

An elated Zoe came fifth out seventeen contestants in her very first competition. Responding to her makeover, one fan said: ‘I’m speechless with Zoe wow !! Well done amazing [sic]’

Zoe had to wait three months before she could start training but through herself into it as soon as she could. One fan wrote: ‘Wow!!! What a transformation! Zoe looks amazing and is such an inspiration’

The bodybuilding champion said the experience has inspired her to become a personal trainer and help others, adding: ‘I’m really excited about helping everybody else achieved what I have achieved’

Eight months after the surgery she entered her first competiton and placed fifth out of seventeen contestants.

An emotional Zoe cried when she received her trophy, saying she was ‘so proud’ of what she’d achieved.

Her next goal is to become a personal trainer so she can help other people on their weightloss journies.

She said: ‘I’m really excited about helping everybody else achieved what I have achieved. Even if this inspires just one person to make a positive change in their lives it’s worth it.’