A mother who struggled to fit on the rides at Disneyland Paris due to her size has returned to the theme park two years later after losing nearly six stone.
Poppie Chapman, 33, from Suffolk, said she felt mortified when she had trouble fastening safety bars on some rides during what should have been a dream family getaway in 2024.
The mother-of-two, who weighed 14st 1Ib at the time, was left miserable at what is often described as ‘the happiest place on earth’ as she felt unfit and her body ached while walking around the 140-acre site.
When she returned to the UK, Poppie decided to join Slimming World in a desperate bid to lose weight. Now, two years on, she has lost a remarkable 5st 9Ibs through making healthier lifestyle choices.
Poppie said: ‘I’d dreamed about taking my kids to Disneyland Paris, so when my eight-year-old daughter Aurora’s dance school organised a trip there, I jumped at the chance.
‘I soon realised that my weight was holding me back – not just confidence wise, but physically too.
‘I found myself breathing in to get some of the safety bars to fit – and then spent the duration of the ride with them digging into my stomach.
‘I just felt so sad – it was the trip of a lifetime but instead of making happy memories with my daughter, all I could think about was how low I felt.’
A mother who was unable to fit on the rides at Disneyland Paris due to her size has returned to the theme park two years later after losing nearly six stone
Poppie Chapman, 33, said she felt mortified when she struggled to fasten safety bars on some rides during what should have been a dream family getaway in 2024. Now, she has returned to the same Disneyland resort to finally enjoy the dream holiday she wanted
Poppie has lost a remarkable 5st 9Ibs through making healthier lifestyle choice and described comparing the images of her side-by-side was ‘surreal’
Poppie explained that while pregnant with her now five-year-old son Litt she suffered from gestational diabetes which saw her forced to use crutches to walk.
‘I remember wishing I could be a fun and active mum who set a good example to her kids – but I just felt so far away from that person,’ she said.
Now, Poppie, who weighs 8st 4Ibs, has returned to the same Disneyland resort to finally enjoy the dream holiday she wanted as well as all the rides on offer.
‘This year, when the information for the dance trip came around, I was over the moon at the thought of going back,’ she said.
‘Instead of worrying about my health or what I looked like, I was planning cute matching outfits with my daughter and felt genuinely excited about making new memories to replace the painful ones I experienced in 2024.
‘We raced around the park going on as many rides as possible, all the safety bars closed easily, and I was racking up 20k steps a day without even thinking about it.
‘It was such a change to how I felt two years ago. Instead of feeling low and self-conscious I was finally able to enjoy the true magic of Disney.’
Poppie added that comparing the images of her side-by-side was ‘surreal’ and that she could never have imagined she would have felt this ‘happy or confident’ after losing the weight.
The mother-of-two, who weighed 14st 1Ib at the time, was left miserable at what is often described as ‘the happiest place on earth’
Poppie said that losing the weight finally enabled her to ‘enjoy the true magic of Disney’. She added: ‘Instead of worrying about my health or what I looked like, I was planning cute matching outfits with my daughter and felt genuinely excited’
Poppie pictured before her weight loss. ‘I remember wishing I could be a fun and active mum who set a good example to her kids – but I just felt so far away from that person,’ she said
Poppie, of Suffolk, said: ‘I’d dreamed about taking my kids to Disneyland Paris, so when my eight-year-old daughter Aurora’s dance school organised a trip there, I jumped at the chance’. Pictured: Poppie and Aurora at Disneyland after Poppie’s weight loss
She explained that while she was fearful of ‘judgement’, joining Slimming World provided her with a ‘group of people who wrapped around me like a safety net’.
‘The support from the consultant and the rest of the group is everything,’ she said.
‘You’re surrounded by people who get it, people who cheer for you, cry with you and lift you up when you can’t lift yourself.
‘That support kept me going on the days I wanted to give up.’
And while Poppie was fearful of the changes in her food, the reality has been quite the opposite – as she now enjoys ‘real food’ and ‘proper family meals’ that allow her to stay on target.
‘I don’t feel like I’m missing out. My fajita bowl is a family favourite – even the kids ask for it,’ she said.
‘We cook from scratch, and all sit down together. Life feels easier because I’m more prepared and not wondering what we will have for dinner at the last minute.’

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