A mother who once weighed 20 stone and stepped into the boxing ring during her battle to shed the pounds has now been shortlisted for a charity award.

Kelly Redfern, from Mansfield, Notts, lost half her body weight after vowing to cut out takeaways and swimming 60 lengths a day – the equivalent of almost a mile.

The determined woman decided to push herself even further by signing up to a gruelling boxing programme and managed to trim down to just 10 stone.

She has now been nominated for an ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award after competing in the Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) challenge.

The mother-of-three said she was ‘shocked’ to hear she had been shortlisted for the prize and hoped her story would inspire others to lose weight.

The 35-year-old added: “I was surprised to be honest. I had just come in from the gym and I had a message letting me know I had been nominated.

“I was shocked – I did not expect it. I did not do any of it for an award, you do it for yourself, so it’s been nice to be nominated.

Pictured: Kelly Redfern before her weight loss and the UWCB event.

“It’s pushed me harder, it’s kept me going. I thought my life was hard but we have all got our own journeys.”

UWCB participants raise cash for Cancer Research UK by taking part in eight weeks of free professional training before a bout with an opponent in front of hundreds of spectators.

They are asked to sell tickets for the show and raise at least £50 for the charity.

Ultra has created five award categories this year to showcase some of their most inspiring individuals: Training location of the year, Trainer of the year, Outstanding achievement, Inspiring participant of the year and Charity Champion of the year.

Mrs Redfern began suffering with depression at 14 but hit rock bottom following the birth of her twin daughters Germaine and Courtney in 2004.

She used food as a ‘crutch’ to help her when she was struggling mentally and would gorge on kebabs or pizzas.

The stay-at-home mum said: “After the twins were born, the doctors said I was suffering with postnatal depression but I’ve been suffering with depression and binge eating for years.

“My girls were born prematurely, they only weighed 1lb 7oz and 2lbs. There were a lot of complications that I struggled to handle.

“The more depressed I was, the more I would stay in and eat. When I had the twins, I would cry all the time and just never want to go out of the house.”

Kelly Redfern now having lost the weight after taking part in the UWCB event.

But she underwent a complete transformation, sticking to a strict regime which included healthy breakfasts and balanced meals.

She then won her fight at the John Fretwell Sports Complex in Nettleworth, Notts, and has since continued to lose weight.

Her dad, landscape gardener David Mitchell, was a welterweight boxer in the 1950s and helped her with training for the challenge.

Mrs Redfern said: “I wanted to do something for charity that was a bit different and wasn’t running a marathon because everyone does that and I hate running.

“The events were for a really good cause and after losing my gran, Connie, to stomach cancer a couple of years ago it seemed like the right thing to do.”

Mrs Redfern still goes to the gym regularly and her trainer at Mansfield’s The Fitness Box checks in with her if she ever misses a class.

Each year thousands of people across the UK take part in Ultra Events to raise money for Cancer Research UK, with a staggering £20 million gathered so far.

The next Ultra White Collar Boxing event takes place in Mansfield on March 29 and training starts in the week commencing February 3.

Anyone thinking of signing up can visit www.ultrawhitecollarboxing.co.uk/locations/mansfield/

Voting for this year’s awards closes at 9pm on December 4, with winners announced two days later.

To vote, visit www.ultraevents.co.uk/awards/