A MUM-of-three from Gwynedd whose youngest son battled cancer has vowed to lose weight and get fit in case he needs her help in the future.
Little Ifan Gwilym was diagnosed with the condition when he was just two years old after doctors found he had tumours on both his kidneys and spent months being treated in hospital.
Now aged four and doing well, his mum Linette is keen to turn her attention to improving her and her husband Iolo's health.
Knowing that Ifan only has one kidney, she wants to be in the best possible shape if she or Iolo need to give him one of her own.
She jumped at the chance of being a health leader on S4C's popular FFIT Cymru series, made by Caernarfon-based production company Cwmni Da and presented by Lisa Gwilym, with the programme being shown at 9pm on Tuesday evenings.
READ MORE:
Active travel route and A55 improvements officially opened
Tributes paid to woman found dead after Snowdonia search
Holyhead man charged with domestic abuse offences appears in court
The 33-year-old social worker, who lives with Ifan and husband Iolo, a theatre technician, and their two other sons, Gruff, nine, and Owain, live in Llanrug near Caernarfon, considers herself a positive person but has lost confidence.
But during a two-month period, Linette and the four other leaders from all across Wales are aiming to transform their health by following bespoke fitness and food plans set by the programme's four experts, including former Love Island contestant and fitness coach Connagh Howard.
At the start of the programme's third week, Linette, travelled with the others to the Llaeth y Llan dairy in Llannefydd, near Denbigh, and created two new recipes for the successful company's online cookbook, using the fat free yogurts recently introduced by the family business.
According to Linette, Ifan's illness had made her and Iolo much more appreciative of their own health.
NEWSLETTER: Get the latest stories from Gwynedd and Anglesey sent straight to your inbox by signing up here.
She said: "It was a nightmare. The only comfort came from eating some food or having a drink.
"Ifan had tumours on both kidneys. What if he needed a kidney from one of us. Both of us realised we weren't healthy enough.
“What if they told us we couldn't be donors because of our weight? You want to make sure you're there for them. You realise you can't take things for granted.
“I just want to be happy, healthy and positive. I haven't been like that for a long time. I just want the old me back."
Fellow health leader Kelly O’Donnell, 41, a mum of four from Bethel near Caernarfon, who suffered the tragic loss of her husband, Rory, from cancer, is hoping the health gains will "make her feel happy inside".
As a busy mother, Kelly, who works as a teaching assistant, finds it difficult to find the time to stay active.
She taught dance at “Angylion Kelly” (Kelly’s Angels) in Caernarfon for 24 years but gave it up last year when her youngest son Eban was born.
Kelly has also run the Snowdon Race and the Cardiff Half Marathon in the past.
She said: "I think other people think I'm happy because I'm always smiling. I'm just tired of always acting happy in front of other people but not being happy inside.
"I love to binge. I'll go to the cupboard and ear four KitKats one after another. Sometimes I'll keep on eating, even if I'm full.
"About seven years ago my husband Rory and I got married then six months later we found out he had cancer.
“18 months later, he died. I've been there for the boys all the time. I've tried to be strong for them, be a mother and a father.
Reflecting on the first two weeks of FFIT Cymru, Kelly said: "It's going quite well. I think the majority of people could do with losing two stone in weight.
“If I come out of it having lost two stone and will have influenced anyone else to do the same that is going to make me feel terrific."
Series producer Siwan Haf said: “FFIT Cymru is essentially about taking a group of people who want to transform their lives and showing them how they can improve through healthy eating, improved fitness and improved mental health.
“It’s a unique multimedia platform that can offer guidance and a practical helping hand.”
FFIT Cymru is broadcast on S4C on Tuesday evenings at 9pm. English subtitles are available.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here