Truly

A 28-year-old woman has lost 150lbs after her middle-aged mum outshone her during a hike. Danielle from Milwaukee, Wisconsin struggled with her weight since a young age. Due to bullying Danielle became very introverted - and found comfort in food, consuming around 3,000 calories a day. At her heaviest, Danielle weighed 340lbs and struggled to find clothes that fit her larger frame. The first time Danielle tried to lose weight was in 2015, in preparation for her sister’s wedding - but after the wedding she lost her motivation. It wasn’t until a hiking trip with her mum and sister Kelsey that Danielle decided to change her life around. Danielle began a strict diet and exercise regime and over a year lost an amazing 150lbs. Five years after her sister’s wedding, Danielle tries on the very same bridesmaid’s dress she wore on that day.

SUBSCRIBE to Transformed: http://bit.ly/3t87o3v VIKTORIA describes her style as “Vampire Barbie'' she loves lace, corsets and the colour dark red. Growing up Viktoria says around age 12 she became an Emo but was bullied out of it and tried more to fit in, however once she left school she realised she wouldn't let people's opinions of her stop her from being who she wants to be, and adopted her goth aesthetic. Viktoria says “I often get judged because of the way I look” and when she’s out in public she’s even had people take pictures and laugh at her. Viktoria believes “Everyone is free to do what they want” and says “People shouldn’t judge people on how they look, I do not judge anyone based on how they dress”. Although Viktoria says she loves goth and metal music she says “People only expect me to listen to gothic bands, but it’s quite fun to switch it up sometimes” so people are usually surprised to know that she’s also a big fan of Lana Del Rey, she is somewhat a guilty pleasure of hers and loves her soft pink coquette aesthetic. Viktoria wants to switch up her look completely and transform into a coquette girly - inspired by Lana Del Rey. She will be revealing her transformation to her partner Jack and friend Timea, who have never seen her outside of her Vampire Barbie aesthetic. Will they love it or not? Follow Viktoria: Insta - @vampirebarbie.1 TikTok - @vampirebarbie1 Videographer: Cara Brown Producers: Yasmin Walker, Kathryn Lewsey, Terri Hughes Editor: Hailey Wang

SUBSCRIBE to Love Don't Judge here: https://bit.ly/3z0dq6y Alan and Jessica are in an age gap relationship, they have 28 years between them. Jessica is 34 and Alan is 62. They met just over 10 years ago through a mutual friend at a party. When they first met, they never discussed ages so were not aware of an age gap. Jessica was not attracted to him at first, but really liked him as a person. After she started to intervene with his style and dress sense she started to feel an attraction grow and decided that she wanted to be with him. “I always say Alan fell in love, and I walked in love”. 9 months after meeting, Alan proposed. Due to the process being so quick, a lot of friends and family didn’t agree with them being together and didn’t show up to the wedding. Jessica knew from that day that the only way people would take them seriously was if they were to stay together and they did just that. They just celebrated their 10th anniversary. When Alan first met Jessica’s dad (also called Alan) it was extremely awkward, Jessica blames it on him going through a bad time at the time, but it probably had something to do with Alan being the same age as him and also having the same name! He even went as far as saying his own daughter has daddy issues! Alan (Jessica’s dad) has now come round to the idea of the relationship a bit more. In this episode of Love Don’t Judge we hear Alan and Jessica discuss the relationship with Jessica’s dad. Socials: https://www.instagram.com/jessicazirk/ https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicazirk Videographer: Adams Wood Producers: Yasmin Walker, Kate Moore Editor: Reuben Yarwood

SUBSCRIBE to Truly: http://bit.ly/Oc61Hj Brandi and Laz Robinson look like a pretty conventional couple: Laz, 38, works in solar engineering, Brandi, 36, is a stay at home mum who (pre-Covid19) homeschools their three kids and has a penchant for coupon shopping. But behind closed doors they practice domestic discipline, a type of relationship which sees Laz dole out punishments to Brandi, from line writing to spanking. Domestic discipline is where one partner takes on the dominant rule maker (and enforcer) role, while the other partner is the submissive. In the case of the Robinsons, Laz is the ‘head of house’, or HOH, while Brandi is the ‘taken in hand’ or TIH. It also adheres to traditional gender roles with Brandi doing the cooking and housework, while Laz looks after the garden and related manual chores. The pair, from Columbus, Ohio, claim that being in a domestic discipline relationship has made them closer as a couple. Videographer: Max Rodriguez Producer: Nathalie Bonney, Ruby Coote, James Thorne, Kim Nguyen Editor: Beth Angus

LIVING with a rare condition is hard, but so is finding love. These incredible couples found each other because of what makes them truly unique. They have come together and not only face living with some of the most challenging conditions in the world, but also the prejudice that comes with that. Making them some of the most inspiring couples out there.

WILLOW Von Witcher was in fourth grade when she asked her mom if she could go to school in a vampire cape. And from that moment, there was no turning back. The now 24-year-old describes her vampire look as ‘creepy cute’; it typically features heavy pale makeup on the skin and dark lips and eyes. Willow almost exclusively wears black and avoids pastel shades or anything that she says: “looks like puke”. Having looked like a vampire for so long Willow transformed into a VSCO girl for the day, complete with scrunchies, oversized tees and a sun kissed beach babe makeup look. But after dressing as a vampire for so long what would Willow’s mum make of her pared back transformation? Follow Willow here: https://www.instagram.com/nightmarekittykat/

AT 320lbs, Jessica Beniquez from Spring Hill, Florida, started her weight loss journey in 2016. Growing up, Jessica was always overweight and it was not until after graduation she finally put her foot down. Jessica told Truly: “I was just sitting in bed watching Netflix and I would binge watch for a good two months. After that, I was like I am done with this." Jessica was stuck in a dangerous routine of watching four to five hours of TV and eating which was causing her weight to increase. She wanted to feel and look better and decided to make the journey to a brand new self. "I was just lazy. I just didn’t want to do anything or talk to anybody. I was drawn into the show and just didn’t want to get off the couch. As well as binge watching TV, Jessica would fry a lot of her food in oil. "I would cook like deep fried food corn dogs, French fries, chicken strips, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks. All of it. I would fry it. It's crazy like thinking back on my old eating habits because now, forget it. So gross."

SUBSCRIBE to Truly: http://bit.ly/Oc61Hj OFFICIALLY the tallest kid in the world, Jase, is a sweet 10-year-old boy who stands at a staggering 6 ft 3” due to a condition called ‘Gigantism.’ This condition means that Jase’s body releases extensive growth hormones in his pituitary gland, causing him to grow at a much quicker rate than an average 10 year old kid. Jase has grown taller by 5 inches each year and will continue to do so, unless he has a surgery to remove the growth in his head that will prevent him from growing further. Though he is resistant towards having surgery, one of the things Jase loves about his condition is how tall he stands above his peers at school, especially during football games, where every child and parent shake at the thought of him playing. Being six times the size of his friend Truman, the gentle giant is not only growing externally but also internally, as his organs and appetite grow to match his frame. Despite his appearance, Jase is a normal, loving 10-year-old boy who embraces being the ‘tallest kid in the world’. Videographer: Randal Crow Producers: Kim Nguyen, Tom Buckman, Courtney Buabeng  Editor: Dalene Low

SUBSCRIBE to Love Don't Judge here: https://bit.ly/3z0dq6y JUSTIN and Chance met in the army during their basic training just over two years ago, they both say they got on well, talked a lot, got closer and started a relationship and nicknamed each other “Battle boos!” When they first met, Justin identified as a straight male and Chance as a gay male, a year into their relationship Chance said she wanted to transition to female. Chance warned Justin about the judgement he would face being with her and gave him an option to end the relationship which he declined - they've now been together for two years and married for one. Chance says she is constantly judged on TikTok and plagued with comments about not only being trans but a trans soldier too. Even though the couple says they are always judged, they continue to educate others on TikTok about their journey hoping that other soldiers will also find the courage to be who they want to be. Disclaimer: These views do not reflect those of the DOD or U.S. Army. Socials: https://www.tiktok.com/@chancejohnson0 https://www.instagram.com/lnonlyme/ Videographer: Erik Nuenighoff Producers: Yasmin Walker, Georgia Embling Editor: Garry Sykes

LIVING with a rare condition is hard, but so is finding love. These incredible couples found each other because of what makes them truly unique. They have come together and not only face living with some of the most challenging conditions in the world, but also the prejudice that comes with that. Making them some of the most inspiring couples out there.

A WOMAN declared morbidly obese has lost 250lbs and had 10lbs of excess skin removed. Corey Hyland says she can only ever remember being overweight. By the time she was a teenager Corey had been declared morbidly obese by doctors and she stopped looking at the weighing scales. As a result, Corey doesn’t know her heaviest weight, other than it was in the 400lb range. A decade ago, without ever imagining she would be able to transform her body, Corey decided to make changes to her diet to try and lose some weight. Despite dropping some pounds, Corey had setbacks along the way and says the big change only happened a few years ago when she started working out with a personal trainer. And in the last year, she lost the biggest amount of weight: an incredible 100lbs. But with that dramatic weight loss came a large amount of excess skin that left Corey feeling underwhelmed with what her body now looked like. Having excess skin removal surgery was the final reward.

A WOMAN from Pennsylvania has transformed her body after losing over 100lbs through healthy eating and exercise. Rachelle Diaz confesses that she would often eat fast food such as McDonald’s and Chinese takeout every day. However once she hit her heaviest weight of 267lbs, she decided to challenge herself to get in shape and has since lost over 100lbs. Despite being a confident person both before and after her weight loss journey, Rachelle has “fallen in love” with the new version of herself and loves to flaunt her results.

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CATHERINE and Gabriella describe themselves as the ‘ultimate mother-daughter duo.’ Together the pair travel, shop, model and dress in matching outfits - all the time. Catherine has two other daughters - Lauren and Sophia who the pair refer to as ‘the sisters’. They think their mom and sister’s relationship is ‘weird’. Lauren said: “Everything they do together is a little extra.” Sophia added: “Everything they do is very cringe.” Catherine and Gabriella started creating videos on social media together. Gabriella said: “People love it but they also love to hate it.” Comments have ranged from positive to judgemental and have accused Catherine of having plastic surgery to look like her daughter and living life through her. Gabriella said: “If someone says online that our relationship is unhealthy like who are you? Why would we care?” While Lauren and Sophia said they agree with some of the comments about their mom and sister being over the top, they vehemently disagree with the idea that they’re neglected as daughters. Sophia said: “We definitely get a lot of attention.” Lauren added: “We don’t need any more attention, we’re good.”

TIKTOK dance sensation Aleazia is a local celebrity in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky - but his journey to this point has been challenging from day one. He was born with a super rare condition called cystic hygroma, which caused large fluid-filled cysts to form on his face. Doctors performed "life-saving surgery" on Aleazia as a newborn baby, as the cysts were blocking his airway, preventing him from breathing. Since then, he has lived with a trach, which acts as "another airway for safety reasons" - something that has proven crucial to Aleazia, as he suffers from regular swelling of his neck and face. The swelling occurs "every two months" on average and causes Aleazia such "agony" that he has to stay in hospital for pain treatment. Growing up, Aleazia's condition meant he faced severe bullying - with other children in the neighbourhood calling him "Mr Potato Head" and "Quagmire." His parents were his rocks through it all and gave him the confidence to ignore the name-calling, but when they passed away in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Aleazia remembers feeling "alone." Despite everything he has been through, as well as continued abuse online, Aleazia has been supported by friends and family and found escapism in his love of dance. For the past 11 years, he has been performing to passers-by on the Big Four Bridge in Louisville and made a name for himself locally and on TikTok. But Aleazia does not do it for the fame and fortune - as he told truly: "When I'm dancing I forget all my troubles - I can be myself, I feel free." Follow Aleazia: https://www.tiktok.com/@aleazia_world https://www.instagram.com/the_real_aleazia Videographer: Nate Spicer Producers: Kim Nguyen, Tom Buckman, Courtney Buabeng Editor: Alex Saunders

MUM of two Amiee is an alternative tattoo model with extensive inking all over her body, including her face and heavily blacked out forearms. As well as being heavily tattooed, Amiee, now 23, also has over 12 piercings in her face alone. Amiee had her first tattoo when she was 13 and really started to get into tattoos aged 18, after she started working in a tattoo shop. A year later she had her first facial tattoo and has about 10 of them now. Amiee mostly has tattoos on her upper body and has over 50 - so far. Eventually she plans to be covered in tattoos from head to toe. Although friends and family have mostly been supportive of Amiee’s tattooed look, her parents took the longest to get used to it. What will they think seeing their daughter once again without any tattoos? Follow Amiee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amiee_inked/ Follow Gemma (MUA) on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gemmahornermua/ Videographer: Jonathan Constantinou Producers: Stephanie Stijkel, Natalia Giorgi Editor: Hailey Wang

AFTER experiencing two traumatic events on the same day, Chris decided to turn his life around and lose an incredible 180lbs. In 2016, Chris, 29, from California, weighed 380lbs. The motivation for change came from a moment of personal hardship: a friend's suicide and his mum being sent to jail. Chris told Truly: “I found out about both things on the same day and I was really depressed and felt like a prisoner in my own body.”

KRISTA FRANCIS lost 248lbs after becoming too overweight to fit through the door whilst carrying her son. Krista has struggled with her weight since she was a teenager, weighing 386lbs at her heaviest. The breaking point for Krista came when she was unable to carry her son, Ezra, who was born with cerebral palsy, through the bathroom door having to call her husband for help.

24-YEAR-OLD Tasia Taylor is the mother of two teenagers. Tasia and her husband Drew, 26, decided to open their home to foster children and Rory, 14 was placed with them. Tasia said: “We just thought with our age, we didn't know that they would even let us take a teenager.” They then adopted Rory, her brother Isaiah, 12 and Tamiray, 16 who is Tasia’s cousin, then Tasia gave birth to Ashtyn Rose two months ago. Within two years, they went from zero to four children. The couple are both teachers and feel this has helped equip them in becoming adoptive parents but they have still been subjected to judgement. Tasia said: “People say we're too young to have adopted teenagers.” But the couple explained that they are very mature for their age and are doing their best. Their families were ‘terrified’ at the prospect of them adopting at first but became so supportive. The family are entertained by the fact that people think they are all siblings or a friendship group rather than parents and children. The couple would like to have more children and foster again too. Drew said: “We're always going to be the family for them.” With thanks to Canton Adams - Captures By Canton Photography for their photography work featured in this episode.

TALENTED 20-year-old makeup artist, Claudia, was born with a rare skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa - also known as EB. The condition causes a lack of collagen, which in turn means her skin is extremely fragile and blisters into wounds that can cover "up to 80% of [her] body." Nurses come in daily to painstakingly remove all Claudia's bandages, clean her wounds and then re-dress them again - a process that can take up to four hours. As well as regular pain medications, these maintenance measures allow Claudia to go about the rest of her day - but EB is progressive and there is no cure, so her condition has deteriorated over time. Her fingers and toes have gradually "fused together" over the years and she has been left with only four fingers remaining on one hand. Claudia's parents, Elizabeth and Gary, provided all of her care growing up and had to develop best practices to protect her skin "on instinct." They have witnessed the gradual progression of her condition and felt helpless at times - but more so due to the social isolation their daughter experienced as a teenager: "We watched her, for six years, suffer the loneliness. You can't fix that as a parent, you can't make friends for your child." But Claudia found an outlet for herself during her tough high school years when she was inspired by watching makeup artists online. At the age of 13, she picked up a makeup brush for the first time and has never looked back - in the years since, she has developed into a "pure artist" and has recorded makeup content from her dressing table at home, which she posts to her rapidly growing fanbase on social media. This, as well as several media appearances in support of Debra Ireland - a charity funding research into potential treatments and cures for EB - has thrust Claudia into the spotlight and she has exciting options open to her as she embarks on the next stage of her career. Her parents couldn't be prouder: "You'd have to live with Claudia to be aware of the challenges that have been put in her way and she has overcome every single one of them... She is still here, still fighting physically and mentally." And Claudia's resilience is stronger than ever as she looks ahead to the future: "My achievements have definitely boosted my self-confidence - realising that you can do great things, no matter what the circumstances are. You have this disability, but you have defied the odds in many ways." Follow Claudia: https://www.instagram.com/claudia.elizabeth.scanlon https://www.tiktok.com/@claudiascanlon

27-YEAR-OLD Anthony Bayer from Queensland, Australia has lost a spectacular 115lbs after being rushed to the hospital. Anthony says his weight issues started in high school, using food as a coping mechanism and consuming over 1,000 calories a day. “Every time I was stressed out I would eat. I would consume three pizzas, three bottles of coke and three packs of Magnum ice cream in one sitting,” he told Truly. Weighing in at 330lbs at his heaviest, Anthony would spend his days at home playing video games. He said: “I had absolutely no confidence, I thought I was going to be alone for the rest of my life." And his fears of ending up alone really intensified when he was stood up for his high school prom. “I asked the most attractive girl in school to be my date and she said yes. I knocked on her door on the day of the formal and she started laughing, at that moment I realised I was set up.” A few months later, Anthony woke up in the middle of the night suffering from heart palpitations. Rushed to the hospital, the doctor explained to him that his irregular heartbeat was down to the pressure put on his body by the excess weight. On the verge of type 2 diabetes, Anthony was urged to make a drastic change to his diet. Researching healthy diets, going for walks and eventually joining a gym, Anthony managed to lose 115lbs in total. He added: “My transformation changed me mentally, now I’m confident, willing to go out there and live my life to the fullest."

THIS music fairy describes her aesthetic as ‘cottagecore’, ‘fairycore’ and ‘goblincore’. Zelda, aka Freckled Zelda said: “I’ve always been interested in fairies because they always make me happy.” She loves bright colours and has never tried ‘emo’ or ‘gothic looks. She said: “In a way I feel like I can pull off anything but I’ve never tried anything like this before.” A key part of her cottagecore fairy look is the accessories she adds - including ears and hair spirals she makes herself. Today, Zelda will be transformed into a gothic-inspired look complete with black leather, lace, chunky boots and a wig. She said: “Fingers crossed I look hot.” Follow Freckled Zelda here: https://www.instagram.com/thefreckledzelda https://www.tiktok.com/@thefreckledzelda YT: @FreckledZelda

RENEE Gracie, from Queensland, Australia, is living the high life after swapping a career as a professional racing driver to become a full-time glamour model. Renee began go-karting aged 13 and quickly got into competitive racing, graduating to the V8 Supercar circuit. But by the time she left racing, she was struggling to survive. Determined to make some money, Renee signed up to OnlyFans and made $24,000 in her first month - but since July 2021 she has been clearing over $100,000 a month. In this episode of Hooked on the Look, we meet up with Renee as she goes to collect her newest purchase - a $170,000 Dodge Ram 1500 Limited SUV, freshly imported from the USA, which she’s paying to have custom-wrapped in neon yellow by the team at Gangsta Wraps. We also see her go on a blind date with Caique. The male entertainer says his daily life is 'good' because he is around girls all the time... But his love life is a different story. Will they be able to accept each other's chosen career?

UNARIK, 34, from Tenerife, describes his look and lifestyle as free, authentic, without labels and nonconformist. After spending a large portion of his early years being told how to act, dress and live, an 18-year-old Unarik decided that he had enough of the shackles of society and began to live his truth. Unarik told Transformed: "Mostly we are told how we need to be, so that we are loved, so that we are accepted. I don't care what you think about me, I don't care what you say about me anymore, I just want to live my freedom." Since leaving Germany and moving to Tenerife, Unarik has found a freedom that he has been looking for since a child and now lives completely free and away from traditional society. Today, with the help of makeup artist Denisa, Unarik will be stepping back into the corporate world once again as he is going to be Transformed from his 'Nonconformist' look to an 'Investment Banker' style. Unarik will be revealing this new and rather shocking look to his best friend Nelhe, who shares his free views on life, but how will she react? Will Nehle hate what she sees? Or will she surprise herself by actually liking Unarik's new look? Follow Unarik: https://www.instagram.com/intu.empa.art/ Follow Makeup Artist Denisa: https://www.instagram.com/denisa_makeup_tenerife/

WHEN Eden came across Christian on TikTok, she couldn't resist sliding into his DMs and from there, things moved pretty fast. Eden told Love Don't Judge: "Within a week he was in my house and within a day he got my name tattooed on him. About a month after that we got engaged." While the pair are blissfully in love, their relationship has encountered a fair amount of criticism. Christian admitted: "People judge us because my fiancée is trans and I'm straight." And online, the hate is particularly bad. Eden explained: "The biggest misconception people have is that he's gay and I'm a man." Christian's, son, Ashton, also lives with the couple and the trolling continues when it comes to their family dynamic. Christian admitted: "Those comments calling me a bad father are the ones that hurt the most." In this episode of Love Don't Judge, the pair will be calling Christian's dad, Cameron, for an honest conversation. Upon Christian asking his dad if they ever told him that Eden was trans, Cameron revealed, "No!"...