‘I lost 8st for Blue’: Obese superfan loses half her bodyweight to look better in photos with her boyband heroes

A BLUE superfan has lost an incredible EIGHT STONE after being spurred on by the band.

Amanda Fowler, 29, has met her favourite member, Antony Costa, more than 30 times and says he’s been a huge support over the past two years during which she’s halved her bodyweight.

The school receptionist, who once tipped the scales at 19 stone and wore a size 26, met Anthony for the first time in 2004 after a concert.

She explained: “I was 18 and totally obsessed with the band.

“I was a huge size 24 but I didn’t care, I was just so excited to meet my idol.”

But as years passed, Amanda became self-conscious about her size and covered herself up in baggy jeans and hoodies.

She admitted: “I didn’t want people to see my body, I just wanted to hide away.

“I couldn’t buy clothes from normal high street shops as they didn’t stock my size, so I was forced to shop in plus-size stores like Yours or Evans.”

But it was around Blue that Amanda felt her most confident.

She went to every concert, show or appearance she could make and Anthony started to recognise her.

Amanda told how he would come over to say hello and was always “so kind and friendly”.

She added: “He made me actually feel good about myself.”

It was through the group that Amanda met her best friend, Sam.

The pair got chatting on a Blue fan forum and realised they lived near each other, then they met up in person at a gig.

When Sam decided to start going to Slimming World, she suggested Amanda go along too.

Amanda recalled: “I was 28 and a size 26. I didn’t want to be fat at 30, so I decided to give it a go.”

The friends went to their local group in Flitwick, Bedfordshire.

Amanda admitted: “I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do it. But it was easier than I thought – I could still eat my favourite foods.”

And after following the diet plan, Amanda quickly started shedding the pounds.

Apart from Blue, Amanda also wanted to make her Nan Sylvia proud.

She said: “We’d always been close and I wanted her to see me slim. But I waited until I’d lost a stone and received my Slimming World certificate before I told her. Nan was so happy for me.”

After each weekly weigh-in, Amanda would ring her Nan to update her on her progress.

She swapped toast, sandwiches, crisps, pizza and chips for fruit, yoghurt, salad, home cooked chips, chicken and salad and also started attending weekly Pilates classes.

As the pounds melted away, Amanda started feeling excited about meeting Blue again, and seeing their reaction.

She said: “At each meet and greet we’d have a photo taken with the boys.

“I couldn’t wait for a photograph of them with the new me.”

When Amanda had dropped four stone, she met Antony at a meet and greet before a concert.

By now, after meeting him nearly 30 times, he knew Amanda by name – but when he saw her, he did a double take.

She explained: “He looked and me and asked, ‘Is that really you Amanda?’

“He said he couldn’t believe how different I looked.”

Antony’s positivity and support encouraged Amanda to keep going.

At Christmas time last year, she went to see Antony play Prince Charming in a pantomime with a group of friends from her Slimming World group.

She sent him a private message on Twitter to let him know they’d be there, and when they spotted each other outside the theatre before the show he came over to talk to them.

By now, Amanda was an amazing seven stone lighter.

She recalled: “Antony couldn’t believe it. He told me I’d done amazingly, and that he was really proud.”

Then in April this year, Amanda and best friend Sam were invited to Duncan James’ birthday party at a nightclub in Northampton.

She explained: “I wore a tight-fitting skirt and top – an outfit I’d never have been able to wear before.

“It was such a lovely feeling to go out feeling happy and confident.”

At the party, the pair got chatting to Simon Webbe, another member of Blue.

Despite having spoken to her before, he didn’t recognise Amanda at first and asked if they’d met.

So she got out her phone and showed the celeb a photo of herself at her biggest.

She explained: “Simon looked at the photo then back at me over and over again.

“Then he showed it to band mates Duncan and Lee and their manager. Their jaws were on the floor – none of them could believe the fat girl in the photo was me.”

But it wasn’t just the band who were left dumbstruck by Amanda’s new look.

She admitted: “Friends I hadn’t seen for a while would walk past me in the street. It was really fun watching people’s reactions when they realised who I was.”

Most recently, Amanda met Antony in May at his musical, Save The Last Dance For Me, in Milton Keynes.

She said: “When he came over he took one look at me and said, ‘F******g hell Amanda, you’ve done so well.'”

Now, Amanda is just four pounds off her target weightloss of 8st 7lbs, and has never felt better.

She said: “I’ve got so much more energy, and friends tell me I’ve gained lots of confidence.

“Sadly Nan died four weeks ago, so she won’t see me reach my final goal.

“I want to lose the last few lbs for her.”