a woman who tipped the scales at almost 20st has shed nearly half her body weight after she was forced to stand during an 11-hour flight - because she feared she was crushing the woman in the seat next to her .
sharon smith , 43 , from halesowen , west midlands , was a bulky size 26 when she went on the business trip in december 2012 and struggled to fit in the plane seat .
she said she lost 4st through joining a slimming club but then shed another four-and-a-half stone after taking up her sporty hobby .