Ireland’s Got Talent hopeful Sharon Webb admitted she would have never had the confidence to do the show before she shed nine stone.
The golden buzzer act, who is on the show as a duo with her son Brandon added that she gave up singing in the past because she felt her weight was blocking any chance of success.
The 41-year-old told Irish Daily Mirror: “Yeah I’ve lost about nine stone.
“At my heaviest I was about 22 stone when I was about 22 or 23 years-old.
“It massively affected my confidence. I wouldn’t go anywhere, do anything. I stopped singing for a couple of years.
Mum of Ireland's Got Talent star Liv Gregorio, 9, says watching daughter on show is 'nerve-wracking'
“Even though I went for competitions, possibly it didn’t but I felt like it affected the way people looked at me.
“It knocked me back a lot and I stopped for awhile. And went into myself then."
Ahead of their live performance this weekend at the first semi-finals, she said: “Now I have a new lease of life. It is almost like you are ready for people to notice you.”
Speaking about her turning point, she said: “I don’t know what hit me but my health wasn’t great and Brandon was only a baby, I wasn’t able to play with him as much at the size I was at and I was obviously too big and too shy to go into gyms then.
Pole dancer Tanya Cheung seeking to break stigma and wow judges on Ireland's Got Talent
“I started on my own first and then when I started losing a bit then I went to the gym and Slimming World and that was great for awhile.
“Then as I got more confident then I got in touch with a trainer and nutritionist and did circus classes. Now I run on my own and go at least twice a week.”
And speaking about her studies in youth work in VTOS in Newbridge, the Kildare native said: “I wouldn’t have considered going into something like this if I hadn’t [lost weight], because I am quite shy as a person I wouldn’t of been one to go and do new ventures because I would be very panicky about it.
Talented Kildare brothers set to take Ireland's Got Talent by storm this weekend
“Even now I may have lost a whole person, I would still be very conscious of myself and nervous. The only thing that keeps me going is singing.”
Reflecting on her whirlwind year, Sharon said: “It’s been crazy, since September obviously with Brandon being in hospital it was just one thing after another and then we thought the audition would be something to look forward to but never in a million years did I think it was going to turn out this way.”
“The first time around it was what it was, we didn’t plan anything and we definitely didn’t expect the Golden Buzzer, we were hoping for one or two yesses maybe. This time around, again we chose a song that means a lot to us and we are just going to give it our all and see what happens.”
