Samantha Chawner tied the knot with her “soulmate” Matthew Parkinson, after a staggering weight loss journey.
The 36-year old briefly found fame after her sister Emma auditioned for the X Factor in 2007, singing Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On. Simon Cowell called her a “flump” at the time, however, and said she sang like a “baby”, prompting a huge on-screen backlash from her family.
Now, 17 years on, Samantha says she was filled with emotion as she walked down the aisle to the tune of Shania Twain’s From This Moment On. Samantha, who previously admitted she never thought she’d be a bride, felt like “a million dollars” in her elegant ivory lace dress and 3m veil at the pair’s ceremony on Saturday (March 16).
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Adding to her joy, after years of struggling with her weight and being labelled as part of Britain’s “fattest and laziest family”, she managed to shed 10 stone for her big day, which took place at Albert Hall in Bolton, Lancashire.
“It felt magical,” Samantha told OK! afterwards. “I walked down the aisle towards Matthew in my beautiful dress and veil, and everything that had happened before floated away. I was so ready to start my new life as Matthew’s wife.
“I never thought I’d be a bride or meet my soulmate, but when I met Matthew, we clicked at once, and we’ve never looked back.” Samantha went viral on ITV after her sister’s reaction to Cowell’s on-screen jibes prompted her and parents Audrey and Philip to storm into the audition room and confront him.
(Image: Samantha Chawner)
A couple of years later, Emma and Samantha duetted on Mariah Carey’s Hero, only for Cowell to turn them down again. The siblings were later helped in transforming their lives on Lorraine Kelly’s Big Fat Challenge, which saw Samantha slim down and find a job at Manchester United.
They also appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show, before Samantha began dabbling in online dating in 2019. She recalled: “I saw Matthew and liked the look of him, and we began talking. We had the same sense of humour, he made me feel relaxed and, best of all he’d never heard of me or my family, so he had no preconceived ideas.”
(Image: Ken McKay)
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The pair eventually met up in Wigan, Samantha’s home town, after three months of chatting and video calls. She admitted she “didn’t feel nervous” during the meeting, and the pair “talked for hours” in a cafe. Matthew “understood” Samantha and was “so supportive”.
He added: “I really liked Sam as soon as we started talking online. She’s such a kind, honest person and we felt comfortable.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
