Slimming World Secrets

My magical visit to the Sparkly Castle

I’ve been home for an hour after my Slimming World head office photoshoot – and I still feel like I’m floating on a cloud. My day inside the Sparkly Castle has been one of the best of my life.

I’m feeling quite emotional – sort of tears-of-happiness emotional. This was a massive event for me, and it really couldn’t have gone any better. I feel so honoured, and so happy.

There are so many highlights, with the photoshoot, the hair salon experience and even catching a glimpse of Slimming World founder and chair Margaret Miles-Bramwell herself, and I want to share them all with you.

So, let’s start at the start, shall we? For those of you who don’t know, I was invited by Slimming World Magazine to write a few words and a few recipes for a food-led feature.

As time went on, the feature evolved – as well as the recipes, the team wanted to know more about my journey as a transgender Slimming World Target member.

And then, because my attempts at a full-length selfie were so disastrous, I was invited to the Slimming World head office for a professional photoshoot.

A few nerves ahead of my big day

I didn’t sleep that well last night. This morning, as I got ready, I felt really nervous about what was to unfold. I needn’t have been.

Today was a freezing cold January day, but the skies were blue and, as my feature will appear in the May/June issue of the magazine, I wanted to go for a summery look.

So, I chose my favourite summer dress – a beautiful lemon yellow number – and, makeup done, drove the short distance to Slimming World head office, known by staff and consultants alike as the Sparkly Castle. It’s only a few miles away from where I live.

After driving into the visitors’ car park, I glanced up to see a huge photograph on one of the buildings’ signs, bearing the smiling face of Margaret.

“Welcome to Slimming World,” reads the sign, “your future starts here.” How true.

Into the Sparkly Castle

So, despite my nerves, I took a deep breath and, not wanting to hang around in the cold, headed for reception.

The receptionist was as lovely as on my previous visits a few years ago, giving me a warm welcome and a hot cup of coffee.

Then I was shown into the waiting area at one end of a huge atrium – it really takes your breath away. Flooded with sunshine bouncing off the pristine white walls, the Sparkly Castle really lives up to its name here.

On one side, above the entrance to the restaurant, are the Slimming World logo and the “Touching hearts, changing lives” slogan.

On the other is stencilled more mottos: “Dream in gold, live life in colour”. There are plants and colourful, contemporary seating. A stencil of a spaceman guards the fire extinguishers. The whole place has the wow factor.

A reunion with my former consultant

After taking a few photos, I sipped my coffee as I waited to be met by Sarah Davison, the magazine’s deputy editor. She has been arranging the feature with me, and it was Sarah who organised the photoshoot.

Then, before she arrived, I got a surprise visit and a big hug from Jackie, who was my consultant in my previous group and got me on the road to Target when I restarted Slimming World two years ago.

She now works at head office, so it was great to see her. I think the last time I saw her was on Zoom during one of the pandemic online group sessions last June.

After a minute or two catching up, we were joined by Sarah – who’s even more lovely in real life than she was in her emails. And, saying my goodbyes to Jackie, she walked me towards the salon, which involved walking past reception.

Catching a glimpse of Margaret!

And you’ll never guess who was there! Margaret herself, looking every bit as glamorous and gorgeous as she does in the photographs.

I felt a bit star-struck. I’ve written before on here that Slimming World is akin to a religion to me. So for me to catch a glimpse of St Margaret, who I believe spends most of her days in Majorca, was fab!

I would love to say that we had a chat and put the world to rights, but I had an appointment in the salon to honour ahead of my photoshoot, so it was just a fleeting sight of the woman who has changed so many thousands of lives for the better.

A spot of pampering in the hair salon

This was my first visit to the hair salon, which is in a separate building opposite the main entrance. As expected, it sparkles like the rest of the castle, chocolate brown walls complemented by fixtures in wood, glass and chrome.

My jacket was taken and I was introduced to my stylist, Diane, who was – quelle surprise – absolutely lovely!

I honestly think it must be in the Slimming World employment terms and conditions that you have to be a super-positive, warm, friendly person to work at head office. Every person I’ve ever met there has been like that.

After getting a sneak preview of the next issue of the magazine (the cover is just stunning), I said my goodbyes to Sarah and was shown to my seat by Diane.

My hair has never looked so good

By now, my nerves were starting to subside, and she really put me at ease. As I’d already washed my hair that morning, we decided it didn’t need washing again. So we skipped that step and went straight into the styling.

I have naturally curly hair these days (a welcome rare side effect of my HRT), so Diane decided she was going to “enhance” my curls a tad.

Using a heated wand, she gave my hair one really tight curl and then, using straighteners (I know, what!) added a bigger curl. We both agreed that bigger was better as this would add more volume.

I then I spent the next half an hour getting the most beautiful hair do as Diane worked her magic with the straighteners (GHD Platinum Plus), a backcombing brush on top and various products.

My hair has NEVER looked as good as it did today – full, shiny, bouncy. It was also fab to chat to someone who’s worked in the salon for 24 years. She’s done Margaret’s hair many times – and that of various celebs – everyone from Catchphrase presenter Stephen Mulhern to Peter Andre.

But you don’t need to be rich or famous to use the salon. It’s open to the public, and you even get offered a glass of prosecco.

LGBT+ kudos for Slimming World

By the time Sarah came to collect me half an hour later, I was feeling really relaxed – which was handy ahead of the photoshoot.

We headed back to the main building, where I was introduced to Graeme the photographer, and Vicky, from the art team. They were both lovely, obvs! And both have worked for Slimming World for a good number of years, as has Sarah.

Chatting to Sarah, she told me that Slimming World now has a great ethos when it comes to equality and diversity, working with LGBT+ people and other minorities much more so now than in years gone by. That was so heartening to hear.

She also told me that I’m the first transgender person to have ever featured in Slimming World Magazine. What an incredible honour, and I hope my experience can open the door for more trans people in the future.

Seriously impressed with this firm!

Lights, camera, action! A spot of modelling

So, on to the photoshoot, and what a hoot that was. I’ve never done any modelling before, but Graeme and Vicky knew exactly what they wanted – and made the whole thing loads of fun.

Now, one slight snag about losing so much weight is that my favourite summer dress is now a little on the large size. It’s a size 16, and I’m now more of a 12/14.

But I wanted to wear it anyway because I love it so. What you won’t see in the magazine pictures are the clips on the back to pull in the fabric at my waist.

I started my photoshoot modelling by standing next to one of the white pillars in the atrium, then Graeme and Vicky worked their magic – the attention to detail was off the scale.

“Chin up!”

“Point your toes!”

“Shoulders back.”

“Big smile – you’re gonna be in the magazine. Fame!”

And dozens more directions. As Graeme took the images on his Canon DSLR, complete with studio lighting, Vicky would view them on a tablet and then make adjustments.

As well as helping me with where to put my hands and feet, she’d adjust my hair, my dress straps and fabric folds, my handbag, everything. Angles were calculated in her mind. As she said herself, she’s a perfectionist. She certainly is.

Yes, the legendary Slimming World toilets really are that beautiful!

At one point, I needed to reapply my lip gloss, so I headed to the atrium toilets. Now, I’ve heard from several consultants how incredible these are, but I’d not been inside until today.

Wow. Just wow.

The consultants weren’t kidding. These aren’t just nice toilets – these are palatial.

There are huge mirrors everywhere, sparkly wallpaper, an image of a huge blue eye with perfect make-up. And then there are little makeup stations with individual mirrors, tissues and seats.

“Be your own kind of beautiful,” states a silver slogan on the wall, shimmering with all the colours of the rainbow.

I think I might have to make that my new mission statement for my life. Lippy applied, I felt energised and inspired as I headed back to the photoshoot.

At which point Graeme told me the gents’ were just as impressive. The urinals are literally made from trombones. Instead of pointing Percy at the porcelain, the chaps point him at the big end (the bell) of the trombone.

More photos, and a quick trip to the restaurant

We then took dozens more photos in the atrium, this time sitting down. As before, there was meticulous attention to detail. Not a single hair could be out of place.

And the photoshoot results speak for themselves. As a trans woman, I am VERY conscious of how I look in photographs – all part of the joys of gender dysphoria. If I took 50 selfies, I’d probably hate 49 of them.

But Graeme and Vicky’s photos were something else. Although I’ve worked in the media (mainly newspapers and then running my own magazine) for decades, I’ve never seen pictures of people look this good.

I remember asking: “Are you sure that’s me?”

I was assured it was. And that’s all thanks to Graeme and Vicky – and Diane’s magic on my hair. Seriously impressed.

As much as I’d love to include one or two of images of me in this blog post, you’re going to have to wait for the magazine in a couple of months’ time.

Once we’d finished the inside shots, we headed to the restaurant to grab a quick cup of coffee. There are even Syn values next to the coffee machine for the various coffees. Three Syns for a Slimming World cappuccino – that’s really good!

Blue skies and sunshine but so cold outside

I was glad of the hot coffee inside me for what was to happen next – the outdoors photoshoot.

As the feature is for the May/June issue, there’s obviously going to be a summery vibe, so we were glad of the clear blue skies and bright sunshine. Perfect!

What the photos won’t show is that it was 5°C and that we still had the high winds from the tail end of Storms Malik and Corrie. Because one storm’s not enough, obviously.

I did my best to pose, standing on a grassy bank among some trees, but it was so cold. Vicky, who was wrapped up in her winter coat, had to keep lending me her scarf to keep the chills at bay as we waited for the wind to subside, taking the pictures in those rare lulls between giant gusts.

I suspect these images won’t get used in the magazine, but we shall have to wait and see.

A heart touched and a life changed

And that was the end of my big day. After collecting my jacket from the salon, I said my goodbyes to Graeme and Vicky, and then headed back to my car, Margaret still smiling down at me from that huge photograph on the sign.

“Your future starts here.”

I’ve had some wonderful moments with Slimming World over the past eight years. Like the time I came out as trans to my group, the times I won Woman of the Year and Miss Slinky awards, and the time I got to Target.

But today has been the best of all – I don’t say it lightly when I repeat that it’s been one of the best days of my life. I was treated like royalty and felt like a princess.

So thank you, Margaret, and thank you, Slimming World. Thank you so much.