Evening Herald, Tuesday 28 August 2007

I Lost My Man – Then My Tummy

By Hannah Louise Dunne

AN IRISH woman celebrated a separation from her husband by shedding a whopping four dress sizes with the help of a tummy tuck.

Cosmetic surgery has given mum-of-one Maria Ryan a whole new lease of life as she dropped from size 18 to a size 10.

Maria decided on the procedure after becoming single and moving back from London to Wicklow.

She said the move was "the best thing ever".

The suddenly single mum decided to undergo the procedure to boost her flagging confidence in her figure.

"I was really invisible before, which is sad, but now I'm not" she explained. "I had thought about it for a good time — about a year and a half and I had made up my mind.

"So when I went in for it, I wasn't that nervous at all. And it really is the most amazing thing. Before I had the stomach of a 60-year-old and now I have the body of someone even younger than me.

"Having a stomach with loose skin was just horrible — but now I have a taut, flat stomach. It's a 100pc improvement."

Despite reports to the contrary, Maria said that the surgery itself was not that painful.

"I've never had a C-section but some friends of mine have and from what they say, this is not as bad because it's only superficial really. And it's eight weeks from the operation now and I'm totally fine," she said.

Maria, who kept her cosmetic surgery secret from her pals until after the procedure, said the operation finally freed her from her low self-confidence.

Speaking of her time as a size 18, Maria says: "I had a huge social life in London, where I had to go out and meet tons of people who would talk to me but never really pay much attention.

"And then when I lost the weight, I noticed a huge change in the way people treated me — which is a bit suspect."

Friends and family have been really supportive after she told them of her operation.

"I didn't tell anyone because when I make a decision I much prefer to make my own mistakes and just go ahead and do it.

"But now some of my friends are amazed at how easy the whole thing was — and are even considering it themselves."

Now, Maria plans to enjoy her new figure and has already taken a number of shopping expeditions to show off her efforts.

However, while she doesn't rule out more surgery in the future, she warns that even surgery, which she had at the Cosmedico Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, doesn't excuse you from watching your diet and exercising.

All in all, though, she says that she would urge people to take the plunge if they wanted.

"Why not look as good as you can. When you give your body over for a child, you should be able to claim it back!"