After Fiancé Dumps Her She Drops 112 Lbs, Now She’s Miss Great Britain 2020

Jen Atkin, who was recently crowned Miss Great Britain 2020, is sharing her incredible story of how she went from breakup to beauty queen, living a life today that is worlds different from years past.

Atkin, 26, was named the 75th Miss Great Britain during a national final in Leicester on Feb. 21.

Back in 2015, however, Atkin was “obese, unhealthy and uncomfortable,” and was devastated over a breakup with her fiancé.

Speaking on “Good Morning Britain” this week, Atkin said the painful breakup was the catalyst for her diet and lifestyle change.

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Less than 6 weeks until the @missgb_official finals – the 75th Anniversary final 👑 what an incredible honour to be part of such a huge event! What’s my story? Well, after years of being obese, unhealthy and uncomfortable I found motivation and managed to lose 8 stone. It transformed me into an ambitious and hard working person in all areas of my life; achieving something so incredible changed my mindset and made me realise if I worked hard enough for something, I could achieve it. Believe in yourself, put the hard work in, stay positive and make your own dreams a reality ✨ #motivation #weightloss #transformation #missgbfinalist #begreat #hardwork #misslincolnshire #beautyqueen #misconception #happiness #health #healthybodyhealthymind

A post shared by Miss Great Britain 2020 (@jenatkinuk) on Jan 12, 2020 at 6:56am PST

“Well, after years of being obese, unhealthy and uncomfortable I found motivation and managed to lose 8 stone,” Atkin wrote in a recent Instagram post.

“It transformed me into an ambitious and hard working person in all areas of my life; achieving something so incredible changed my mindset and made me realise if I worked hard enough for something, I could achieve it.”

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Catch me on Good Morning Britain on ITV this morning around 8.25am 🎥📸👑 #tv #GMB #itv #studio #missgb #begreat

A post shared by Miss Great Britain 2020 (@jenatkinuk) on Feb 26, 2020 at 11:49pm PST

The pageant winner traded fast food for hours spent learning to cook at home. She began bicycling and walking to work and found that the more she exercised, the more she enjoyed it.

Atkin began entering pageants and found it so much fun that she returned this year after taking last year off to get married.

Atkin lost 112 pounds during her weight-loss journey and told the Manchester Evening News that “Winning Miss Great Britain marks the end of a long and difficult, but also amazing, journey.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Atkin shared about the shock and excitement of winning Miss Great Britain, the country’s highest pageant honor.

“There were 45 Miss Great Britain finalists and I was lucky to not only win the personality award but take home the crown and title of Miss Great Britain 2020,” she said.

“It was such a shock – three years ago I would never ever expected to be winning Miss GB. Hard work really does pay off.”

Participating in the swimsuit round of competition was empowering for Atkin, who said she was proud to step on stage with confidence and an inward joy.

“I was in my swimsuit stretchmarks and all. I have so many all over my body, and it’s fine, it’s normal,” she said.

Looking back at her painful breakup, Atkin is thankful it happened.

“When we broke up, I was devastated but it ended up being the best thing that’s happened to me,” she said.