Hundreds of mourners have gathered to pay tribute to Slimming World founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell, who passed away aged 76 last month.
Friends, family and followers of her famed weight loss regime attended the service at Derby Cathedral on Monday, passing by the famed Slimming World head office on their way.
The funeral procession was pictured with a poster of Ms Miles-Bramwell in the background, embellished with the famous motto: ‘Welcome to Slimming World, your future starts here.’
The pioneer of healthy eating died in Majorca on February 2, surrounded by her family.
Among those lining the streets were avid followers of the regime, which transformed the lives of millions of Brits.
One member was Nick Furlong, 45, from Woodhatch, Surrey, who lost six stone (38kg).
He said: ‘The decision Margaret made 55 years ago to help others lead the life they wanted has meant I have had years added on to mine to share with my family.’
Harriet Peacock, 49, named Slimming World’s Greatest Loser 2022 after shedding more than 20 stone (127kg), said: ‘It is a rare thing for someone to have positively impacted the lives of so many and leave such a legacy of kindness behind.’
Hundreds of mourners have gathered to pay tribute to Slimming World founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell, who passed away aged 76 last month
The pioneer of healthy eating died in Majorca on February 2, surrounded by her family
In an emotional tribute today, Lisa Salmon, the managing director of Slimming World, said: ‘We will never forget your friendship, your wicked sense of humour, the fun we had, your kindness, your straight talking or your single-minded devotion to giving nothing but the best to Slimming World’s members, Consultants and staff.
‘What you achieved in 76 years was nothing short of magnificent.
‘At the age of just 21, you knew that there had to be a better way to help people lose weight – one based on care, compassion and empowerment, not humiliation and shame.
‘The methods you created, based on your deep understanding of the burden of being overweight, were (and still are) revolutionary, and they changed the face of weight management.’
The funeral cortege left Ms Miles-Bramwell’s home in Mansfield Woodhouse before passing the office where she launched her company, in Somercotes.
Local consultants and managers lined the route, holding white roses and spring daffodils, which were thrown into the path of the hearse.
A moment’s silence was held as the cortege paused outside the reception of the main building.
The cortege continued to The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Derby, for a service led by The Very Reverend Dr Peter Robinson, Dean of Derby.
The funeral cortege left Ms Miles-Bramwell’s home in Mansfield Woodhouse before passing the office where she launched her company, in Somercotes
People pay their respects at the funeral of Slimming World founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE
Among those lining the streets were avid followers of the regime, which transformed the lives of millions of Brits
She started her business in 1969 as a single slimming group and expanded rapidly becoming a network of more than 3,500 consultants and about 700,000 members
Mrs Miles-Bramwell founded Slimming World in 1969 and was made an OBE by the then Prince Charles for services to the health of the British public in 2009.
Her company worked with the NHS on its first weight management referral scheme in 2000, which allowed doctors to refer overweight patients to Slimming World.
She also owned a theatre in Majorca and the British boat builder Pearl Yachts and was named Business Woman of the Year at the National Business Women’s Awards in 2023.
Since her death, tributes have poured in from across the globe from people whose lives have been changed after joining Slimming World.
In a statement following her death last month, Slimming World said: ‘Margaret was a loving and much-loved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and the proud owner of several successful businesses in Mallorca and the UK, including the UK’s leading weight-management organisation Slimming World.
‘She undoubtedly touched hearts and changed lives for millions of people – and for all of us who knew and loved her.
‘She’ll continue to do so for many more years to come.
‘Our thoughts are with Margaret’s family.
The founder of Slimming World was made an OBE in 2009 by the then Prince of Wales
Ms Miles-Bramwell was described as ‘a loving and much-loved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and the proud owner of several successful businesses’
Slimming World said ‘she undoubtedly touched hearts and changed lives for millions of people – and for all of us who knew and loved her’
Jess Conrad said he was ‘devastated’ by the death of Ms Miles-Bramwell who had been ‘a dear friend for many years’
‘We take comfort, as we’re sure they do, in the hope that Margaret is now reunited with her beloved Tony – sailing off into the sunset together.
‘Since founding Slimming World 56 years ago, her determination to help people shed the burden of excess weight without shame or guilt has seen it grow from a single group in 1969 to the global authority in weight management that it is today.
‘She leaves this world a healthier place.’
They continued: ‘Margaret has taken great care to ensure that plans are in place to keep the company safe and sound, knowing that she might not always be around to steer it, so that the business will continue to operate just as it always has – run by people who care passionately about changing lives.’
She founded Slimming World, which provides tailored food plans and weekly group sessions for weight management, in Alfreton, Derbyshire, in 1969.
The groups started off in a church hall but by the 80s, they were providing 700 classes across the UK.
The company pioneered the first-ever NHS weight management referral scheme in 2000, allowing health professionals to refer overweight patients to Slimming World groups to manage their weight.
It went on to become the largest slimming club in the UK and Ireland in 2012 with more than 10,000 groups set up and allegedly employs 400 people.
Margaret Miles-Bramwell with the OBE she received at Buckingham Palace in London for services to Healthcare and to charity in 2009
Ms Miles-Bramwell was made an OBE by Charles, then-prince of Wales, for her services to the health of the British public in 2009, the company’s 40th anniversary year.
Speaking about her career after she received her royal honour, she said: ‘In the early days, in the sixties, there was some help around but it was the sort that used humiliation tactics.
‘I really felt that we needed to treat overweight people with respect and courtesy and as adults and not as children who needed a slap or something.
‘That was really what inspired me.’
The company operates through 3,500 ‘consultants’ across the country who help with eating plans to help people loose weight and then maintain their weight once they’ve reached their target.
Ms Miles-Bramwell was also the owner of a theatre in Majorca and the British boat builder Pearl Yachts, and was named Business Woman of the Year at the National Business Women’s awards in 2023.
Slimming World managing director Lisa Salmon said: ‘Margaret steered her ship in the way she lived her life – with a generous spirit, passionate conviction, a wicked (and rebellious!) sense of humour and a fierce belief in doing the right thing.
‘Our job now is to continue to keep her legacy alive by doing the very same thing.’
Mrs Miles-Bramwell founded Slimming World in 1969 and was made an OBE by the then Prince Charles
Sixties pop idol Jess Conrad said in a post on X that he was ‘devastated’ by the death of Ms Miles-Bramwell, who had been ‘a dear friend for many years’, alongside a picture of the pair from 2022.
Ms Miles-Bramwell was recognised in the Top 100 Influential People 2025 earlier this month.
She said: ‘Having struggled with my own weight from a young age, I was aware of the lack of support available, and I was left feeling lectured to, judged and humiliated whenever I tried to seek help.
‘I knew there had to be a better way to help people like me.
‘I know how it feels to be burdened with your weight – not just the physical weight, but the burden of shame and guilt too.’
Ms Miles-Bramwell is survived by her children from her first husband, Roy Miles, a daughter, Claire and two sons, Dominic and Benjamin.
After the couple split, she later married Tony Whittaker in 1996, who she described as her ‘soulmate’.
She became stepmother to his children but he passed away in 2021 after 25 years of marriage.
