A slimming consultant from Harleston who has overseen the weight loss of dozens of people has been praised by TV personality Rylan Clark-Neal.

Rylan, who shot to fame after appearing on hit show The X-Factor, met Rowena Mason while co-hosting the Slimming World Awards with founder and chair Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE, as the organisation marks 50 years since she opened her first Slimming World group in 1969.

Rowena, who runs a Slimming World group at King Georges Hall in Harleston every Monday and Archbishop Sancroft School every Tuesday, said she was delighted by weight shed from her group over the last 365 days.

She said: 'I couldn't be prouder of my members, not only have they lost fantastic amounts of weight throughout 2018 – with many of them hitting their target weights. They've also improved their health, boosted their confidence and are heading into 2019 with new healthy habits that will stay with them for life.

'Watching people change before my eyes and start being able to do things that they didn't think possible before losing weight absolutely amazes me.

'Every week I feel privileged to play even a small part in supporting people towards these achievements and to celebrate with them, so I felt especially honoured to represent my members at the Slimming World Awards.'

Rylan, who has appeared on This Morning and presented Channel 5's Big Brother's Little Brother, said: 'I met so many people who had lost incredible amounts of weight and made a huge difference to their lives. Every one of them spoke passionately about how they couldn't have made those changes to eat more healthily and become more active without the support of their consultant and group every week, so people like Rowena are clearly worth their weight in gold.'

The consultant urged anyone who is keen to get involved and lose weight to contact her on 07977 463727 or to visit the Slimming World website for their nearest group.

She said: 'Thanks to our eating plan they'll see big results on the scales without ever having to feel hungry or deprived, and at the Harleston Am group they'll discover a whole world of support and advice that's sure to help them achieve their targets – and have a lot of fun along the way too.'