a husband came up with a solution to his tackle his wife's lack of confidence and body image issues   he organised for her to be transformed into a burlesque dancer cheryl holley, 47, from birmingham, used to struggle with her self esteem before her husband, simon, booked her in for a session with a professional burlesque photographer as a birthday present during the photo shoot, cheryl dressed up in basques and stockings and posed for pictures taken by claire seville cheryl holley, 47, pictured during her burlesque shoot, used to struggle with her self esteem  she was transformed into a burlesque diva by claire seville after her husband bought her the shoot as a gift  cheryl and husband simon say their marriage has been enhanced as a result of the shoot  she said the experience boosted her mood and gave her the drive to go on and lose two stone speaking of the photo shoot, she said: 'it's made me feel ten years younger! 'when i saw the photographs claire took of me in the first shoot i just couldn't believe it was me, i started crying because i couldn't believe how fantastic she'd made me look 'it's done wonders for my confidence all of a sudden, i get compliments about my appearance and people are amazed when they find out i'm 47 'the first photoshoot was last march and it was absolutely brilliant, i thoroughly enjoyed it 'i was so nervous initially because i'd seen claire's work and didn't think it was for me at all but she made me feel a million dollars the 47 year old said she loves how young she looks in claire's pictures  the couple say they go out more now claire's confident and are often mistaken for younger than their 47 years  'it's made me feel at least ten years younger and it not only gave me the incentive to lose two stone but to maintain it as well' following the first photo shoot, cheryl lost two stone going from 14st 7lb to to 12st 7lb and has worked with claire again she admits the burlesque photoshoots have enhanced her marriage to simon, 47 she said: 'he loves seeing me dressed like that and he loves to show me off 'it's done wonders for our relationship it's really spiced things up and added an extra dimension to what was already a very happy marriage 'we go out more and we both feel younger to be approaching 50 feeling as fresh and alive as we do is a really wonderful thing and we've got claire to thank for a lot of that' simon said of his wife: 'i've always known how wonderful and beautiful she is but now she does too' before the photoshoot pictured, cheryl was two stone heavier and self conscious about her figure  simon, a sales manager, said he's delighted his wife was so happy with her present he said: 'it all started out as a gift for cheryl's 46th birthday much to her surprise, cheryl absolutely loved it the photographs were stunning and she got a huge confidence boost from the whole experience 'she was very proud of herself and saw herself for what she is: a very beautiful woman 'before seeing claire, she'd always been conscious of her figure and covered herself up but now she has the confidence to dress how she wants 'it's not just her appearance: she's really come out of her shell and seems so much happier i've always known how wonderful and beautiful she is but now she does too cheryl used to weigh 14st 7lb, right, but is now a slimmer 12st 7lb, left  the couple say they feel like newly weds again as the photoshoot 'breathed new life into our marriage' 'it gave her the impetus to go on and lose weight and cheryl lost two stone straight after working with claire 'she'd always talked about dropping the pounds but never really had the drive to see it through 'after working with claire and seeing how fantastic she could look gave her all the motivation she needed 'for our age group it's really unusual and it's breathed new life into our marriage it's like we're newlyweds again' claire seville's birmingham based bad girl studio caters for clients who want something a little more risqué than traditional poses cheryl pictured before her weightloss when she was low in confidence  now she's in the driving seat, happier and more confident and two stones lighter  the 36 year old captures pin up poses and even provides latex outfits for customers of all shapes, sizes and ages she said: 'a lot of women who come to me have no confidence so it's really rewarding to give them that well deserved boost 'cheryl is the prime example of someone who came to me with zero confidence but feels fantastic afterwards 'some feel jittery and apprehensive but it never ceases to amaze me what a little encouragement can achieve' claire works with a wide range of clients and is contacted by women who've lost a lot of weight and women looking for a confidence boost after pregnancy 'people contact me from all over the place because women seem to find it quite therapeutic it's a chance to literally let their hair down' simon is proud of how his wife looks in the professional pictures including this mock vogue cover  photographer claire, pictured, works with a wide range of clients and many are looking for a confidence boost 
cheryl holley birmingham simon 7lb
cheryl holley, 47, from birmingham, used to struggle with her self esteem . husband, simon, 47, booked burlesque photoshoot as a present . the experience inspired her to slim from 14st 7lb to to 12st 7lb . couple  says it has enhanced their marriage and they're like 'newlyweds'