Office manager Janet is a lively character who tries to stay positive but the constant battle with her weight has really taken its toll on her confidence. She has tried everything from Weight Watchers to low-fat diets and different exercise regimes but the pounds seem to just work their way back on.

Janet blames her weight gain on problems in her domestic life. She used to live next door to her boyfriend's parents whilst he lived further down the street. Her boyfriend is a long-distance lorry driver and is away from Monday to Friday most weeks. His mother developed diabetes and lost her sight and his father contracted throat cancer and consequently lost his voicebox. Janet became their unpaid carer, even though she had a full-time job. Both parents died last year and the bereavements put a strain on her relationship with her partner.

Janet's boyfriend is not supportive in any way regarding her weight gain. In fact, he takes the mickey out of her to try and get her to lose weight. To put even more pressure on Janet to lose weight, Janet's 16-year-old daughter from an earlier relationship is as thin as a rake! While her daughter heads to the size six section of the shop, Janet heads to the plus size section!

But underneath this size 20 exterior is a woman determined to make changes and benefit from the Speakman treatment.