Cheshire

<a href="https://sophwithlove.com">Soph Hughes</a> is exactly the sort of girl you need in your life. A Cheshire-based model, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sophwithlove/">influencer</a>, podcaster and motivational speaker, she was left with a seven inch scar running down her abdomen after surgery to help save her nephew&#8217;s life. Here she tells Muddy about her crippling self-doubt, the weight loss tactics from rogue modelling agents and her journey to finding inner peace.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="931" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC095751-2-ezgif.com-resize-931x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2243" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC095751-2-ezgif.com-resize-931x1024.jpg 931w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC095751-2-ezgif.com-resize-273x300.jpg 273w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC095751-2-ezgif.com-resize-768x845.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC095751-2-ezgif.com-resize.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 931px) 100vw, 931px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">© Logan Gray. Makeup&nbsp;by Kim Lumsdon.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>



&#8220;I was scouted as a model in London at the age of 15 and was signed to a modelling agency. I was obviously thrilled &#8211; the idea of it all sounded so glamorous. But even though I was super skinny, I was obsessed with becoming even smaller. And I just didn&#8217;t eat, sometimes for days at a time. It started with skipping lunch in school and it escalated into a full blown eating disorder. I would stare at all the other models on the website and compare my measurements to theirs. I naturally have wide hips &#8211; I mean, you can&#8217;t change the shape of your bones &#8211; but I was always striving to be skinnier. We all remember Kate Moss&#8217; infamous slogan, &#8216;nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.&#8217; Well, that totally hooked me. I even had one really irresponsible agent who would get the tape measure out and tell me to lose another inch off my hips. 



One modelling agent put me on an apple diet where I could only eat apples for a week to lose weight for a runway! There were times when I would eat a bowl of coco pops before calculating the calories and immediately running them off on the treadmill. And then there were fat burning pills, water retention tablets &#8211; you name it, I took it. Remember the Special K diet? The Atkins diet? I was addicted to being smaller so I tried anything. It was so destructive to my self worth. But I needed a change. I needed an adventure. And I booked a one-way ticket to Sydney at the age of 22. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="819" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09699-2-copy-2-819x1024.jpg" alt="Soph Hughes" class="wp-image-2199" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09699-2-copy-2-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09699-2-copy-2-240x300.jpg 240w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09699-2-copy-2-768x960.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09699-2-copy-2-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09699-2-copy-2-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09699-2-copy-2-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">© Logan Gray. Makeup&nbsp;by Kim Lumsdon.</figcaption></figure>



I loved life in Australia &#8211; the beaches, the clean living, the weather. Everything is outdoors. I was still modelling but I was really struggling with my self-worth and battling an eating disorder. But then everything changed with the birth of my nephew. He was born with a condition called biliary atresia, a rare, life-threatening liver disease that occurs when bile ducts in the liver are blocked. He had his first surgery when he was just a tiny six weeks old but the doctors advised liver transplantation would be the best option for him. And so of course I put myself forward straight away. He&#8217;s my nephew, there was no question. And after flying back to the UK and undergoing a load of tests, they called to let me know I was a match. It was very thorough. You even have to go through psychological testing just to ensure you&#8217;ll be able to cope post-procedure as there was always a chance he still might not survive. But when I was 25 and he was six months old, the surgery went ahead. Over eight hours they transferred some of my liver &#8211; I think it was around 40% of it &#8211; into my nephew and ultimately I was left with a seven inch scar. 



Over an 18-month period, I went from a size 6 to a size 16. I was back in Australia, living exactly the same life, working out the same way and eating clean, but the weight piled on. I stopped modelling and was absolutely crippled with a severe lack of confidence. Everyone kept telling me I&#8217;d done this really heroic thing but I was struggling with how my body looked and the scar. I think I was shell shocked. And then I&#8217;d feel incredibly guilty because my nephew was thriving and happy and healthy. 


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="819" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC00882-2-819x1024.jpg" alt="Soph Hughes" class="wp-image-2219" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC00882-2-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC00882-2-240x300.jpg 240w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC00882-2-768x960.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC00882-2-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC00882-2-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC00882-2-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">© Logan Gray. Makeup&nbsp;by Kim Lumsdon.</figcaption></figure></div>


Eventually though, something started to change in my mindset. I&#8217;d spent 27 years hating my body and enough was enough. I had to come to terms that I had this scar and I was much bigger than I used to be. And them something amazing happened. I was scouted by a curve model agency in Sydney and before I knew it, they&#8217;d organised a massive nationwide campaign with an Aussie lingerie brand, and all of a sudden, there I was, pictured in my underwear. A curve model. This was definitely the turning point. It was like exposure therapy but on the grandest scale. I had so much positive feedback and lots of people contacted me on social media who had scars themselves saying they&#8217;d never seen models expose their scars and how it was a brilliant thing. And it clicked. We need to normalise scars. Plenty of people have them, whether they&#8217;re from life-changing surgery or caesarean sections. Why aren&#8217;t they represented more often in the modelling world?


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="683" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/06_8450_AA-1-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2214" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/06_8450_AA-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/06_8450_AA-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/06_8450_AA-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/06_8450_AA-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/06_8450_AA-1.jpg 1311w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /></figure></div>


For anyone struggling with a post-operative scar, please stop looking at your body for just the way it looks. Start thinking about all the amazing things your body can do. Your scar is a symbol of survival, whether it&#8217;s from a traumatic experience or giving new life. Scars always have a story and one you should be proud of telling. But let&#8217;s be honest here. Learning to accept your body can take years. It&#8217;s an ongoing process. The sad thing is that so many women really struggle with their body image. And it always seems to have been the case. Back when I was a teenager, skinny women were thrust in your face. Curvy girls &#8211; especially curvy girls with scars &#8211; weren&#8217;t a thing. But I do think things are slowly changing and we are moving forward. All sorts of women are now represented &#8211; from those in wheelchairs to curvy women &#8211; which is brilliant. I just wish I could go back to my 15 year old self and give her a massive hug. I want to tell her to enjoy herself more, that we&#8217;ll figure it all out and the way she looks is the least interesting thing about her. 



I&#8217;ve just launched <a href="https://curveballthepodcast.co.uk">Curveball The Podcast</a> with the gorgeous curve model, Kayleigh Fay. As soon as I met her I realised we had such a lovely energy and it was a no brainer. We talk about life in your 30s, life beyond your thirties, boys, positivity, sex, anything and everything. And it&#8217;s for anyone who&#8217;s craving a big hug. Or for anyone who feels like they want to hang out with their girlfriends and for them to tell you all is good and it&#8217;s ok not to have your shit together all the time.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="819" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC01409-2-copy-819x1024.jpg" alt="Soph Hughes" class="wp-image-2220" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC01409-2-copy-819x1024.jpg 819w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC01409-2-copy-240x300.jpg 240w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC01409-2-copy-768x960.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC01409-2-copy-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC01409-2-copy-1638x2048.jpg 1638w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC01409-2-copy-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">© Logan Gray. Makeup&nbsp;by Kim Lumsdon.</figcaption></figure></div>


People ask me all the time if social media is a bad thing. But personally I&#8217;m a firm believer that your social media experience is your responsibility. I learn so much and find constant inspiration on Instagram and I unfollow anyone who makes me think negative things about myself. If you choose to follow people who don&#8217;t make you feel good about yourself, you&#8217;re only going to come away feeling like crap. Don&#8217;t compare yourself to people who use filters &#8211; it can be so damaging to your self esteem. 



Ask yourself more often, what makes you happy? Not what makes others happy. Follow your own path and your own adventures without comparing yourself to others &#8211; no matter what anyone else thinks. For years, I thought there was something wrong with me as I didn&#8217;t want to settle down and I just wanted to travel. But perhaps that&#8217;s just the person I am. I&#8217;m now back in Cheshire, my gorgeous nephew is a happy and healthy nine year old and I&#8217;m relishing every second of my time as a motivational speaker and body positivity model. One of the reasons I&#8217;m so committed to my work is that I just feel so at peace with myself now. I don&#8217;t body check, I don&#8217;t obsess about what I look like and I don&#8217;t count calories. I focus on how I feel. And I want all women to feel like this. We&#8217;ve got one incredible life to live and life really is too short to be worrying about cellulite or losing that extra inch of your waistline. Sometimes you just need to have a stern word with yourself and realise just how amazing you are.&#8221;



If you&#8217;re struggling with your self-confidence, Soph has published her very own <a href="https://sophwithlove.com">Body Confidence Course</a> bringing together everything she learned during her Psychology degree, therapy sessions and life experiences into nine video modules. It&#8217;s for any woman of any age. Buy the course and you have lifetime access to the modules and can message Soph at any time. Soph says: &#8220;The youngest person that&#8217;s signed up is 13, while the oldest was in her 70s and told me she wished she&#8217;d done it earlier. In fact, I&#8217;ve had so much amazing feedback that I add it all into a folder on my phone called &#8216;keep going&#8217;. And if I&#8217;m ever having a bad day, I have a quick read of my &#8216;keep going&#8217; folder and it sorts me out.&#8221;


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="931" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09600-2-ezgif.com-resize-931x1024.jpg" alt="Soph Hughes" class="wp-image-2197" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09600-2-ezgif.com-resize-931x1024.jpg 931w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09600-2-ezgif.com-resize-273x300.jpg 273w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09600-2-ezgif.com-resize-768x845.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/02/DSC09600-2-ezgif.com-resize.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 931px) 100vw, 931px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">© Logan Gray. Makeup&nbsp;by Kim Lumsdon.</figcaption></figure></div>

I went from a size 6 to 16 after becoming a life-saving organ donor and now I’m a body positivity model

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