A WEIGHT-LOSS expert from Great Sutton got a Wright surprise at this year’s Slimming World’s annual awards ceremony.

Gaynor Budd, who runs four sessions for the weight-loss club at Hope Farm Community Centre every Wednesday, was thrilled to rub shoulders with reality TV star Mark Wright from The Only Way Is Essex at the Birmingham event.

Mark, who has also starred in ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, joined Slimming World’s founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE to host the ceremony which celebrate’s the club’s most successful slimmers.

Gaynor has been named one of Slimming World’s ‘gold consultants’ every year since 1997 – meaning her group has 100 or more members for three consecutive months and at least 85% of members return week after week.

She said meeting Mark was the perfect ending to a great year for the Great Sutton Slimming World group and the organisation as a whole.

Gaynor is encouraging the people of Ellesmere Port who want to make a positive change to their weight to join the class.

She said: “It has been a good year but there’s still a lot of work to be done; with one of the highest levels of obesity in Europe right here in the UK, we want to help even more people to slim down and improve their health starting this January.

“At this time of year lots of people will be making New Year’s resolutions and pledging to lose weight, and we’d love anyone who wants to make a change to come along and join us.

“Even if they’ve struggled to stick to resolutions in the past, there’s no need to be put off.

“Slimming World’s Food Optimising plan isn’t a diet, it’s an easy, healthy way of eating that the whole family can enjoy.”

Essex boy Mark said it was ‘a real honour’ to present the awards.

“Staying in shape is something I have to work hard at myself and I know it’s not always easy,” he said.

“Everyone commented that having the support of someone like Gaynor and the group is really important too.”