Pub worker sheds nearly 8st after armed robber branded her a 'fat cow' as he struggled to tie her up



Getting a gun held to your head would be emotionally scarring enough for most.

But for Josie Barnes, an armed robber added insult to injury as he branded her a 'fat cow' while he struggled to tie her up.

She has since had the last laugh, though - the attacker's haunting words spurred on the pub worker to lose seven stone nine pounds.

Josie, 29, went from a size 24 to a size 10 after the terrifying experience. She now weighs 10 stone 2 pounds and will slip into her dream wedding dress when she marries her fiancé Fatih this summer.

Attack victim: Josie Barnes was scared to leave the house after being branded a 'fat cow' by armed robbers, but she eventually overcame her demons and joined Weight Watchers

Josie said: 'Getting a gun pointed at your head will leave anyone emotionally scarred.

'If that didn't encourage me to change my life for the better then I don't know what would'.

In December 2006, Josie went to collect her sister from her local Harvester pub in Brentwood, Essex, where they both worked.

Josie said: 'A man came up behind me in the dark. I just assumed it was one of our work friends messing around.

'But when I saw the balaclavas pulled over their faces with guns in their hands, I knew it was serious.

'My sister Vicky was hysterical and wouldn't stop screaming. They told me they would shoot her if she didn't shut-up.'

The robbers then tied up her arms and legs and told her to get down on the ground, while they raided the restaurant, fleeing with £1,000.

Josie said: 'It was terrifying. I thought they were going to kill me.



Getting the last laugh: Josie's attacker's haunting words spurred on the pub worker to go from a size 24 to a size 10

'As I lay on the ground I felt helpless and humiliated as the raider took time out to ridicule me.

Shortly after Josie was able to untie herself and raise the alarm, but it was just the beginning of her nightmare.

Josie said: 'I was too terrified to go back to work, so I had to leave.

'I had flashbacks and slept with the light on for more than a year. My confidence was totally destroyed.

'At school people would call me lardy or fatty and shout nasty things.



'When the robber called me fat that night, it just brought all those horrible memories back.'

Over the next few months Josie piled on more pounds as she tried to cope with her ordeal.

Scared to leave the house, Josie stayed home scoffing bars of chocolate and tubs of ice-cream for comfort.

Two years went by and Josie stuck to the same bad habits. It wasn't until returning from a family holiday on the paradise island of Aruba that she decided to take action once and for all.

Josie says: 'I was sitting at home with my Mum flicking through the holiday snaps.

'I looked bronzed and happy surrounded by my family, but I just couldn't get the robbers words out of my head.

Josie decided she was going to beat the bullies once and for all and signed up for Weight Watchers the next day.

She said: 'Getting weighed in front of everyone was mortifying, I could have died right there on the spot.

'But after what had happened I was determined for the first time in my life, and I stuck at it.'

By cutting out snacks, drinking water and swapping the garlic bread for vegetables, Josie started to slim down.

Eighteen months later, a slimmer and happier Josie flew to Turkey in summer 2009 with her family. Little did she know her new trim figure would help her bag the man of her dreams.

Josie met sailor Fatih, 26, at a party and the pair plan to get married next summer.

With the wedding round the corner, Josie is determined to keep her new slim-line figure.

She said: 'If you had told me three years ago that I would be marrying a hunky Turkish man, and looking for a size 10 wedding dress, I would have never believed you.

'I'm really proud of what I've achieved, and I love seeing people's reaction when they see me.

'I couldn't have done it without the love and support of my family. My sister and my Dad have lost 8 stone between them on the new Barnes diet regime.