Mavis Crossley wears an ankle chain. She also sports a tooth jewel. Her nails are painted in tiger stripes. She wears a top that would not look out of place on a Spice Girl.

And she loves working out at the gym. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Nothing, other than the fact that she is 72.

The Keighley pensioner (pictured) has not always been so trim, fit and trendy. Six years ago she was overweight and dressed in plain, outsize clothes that hid her bulky frame.

But since joining a friend at a slimming class she has transformed herself, and feels like a new woman. "I used to buy clothes up to size 24," she says, "Now I buy size 12 ."

The lively grandma, who used to work as a jock strap packer for a sportswear company says: "I started putting on weight after my first baby. I wasn't really bothered then so I did nothing about it."

She went on to have another four children. "I was 20 when I had my first and 38 when I had my last.

"I fell into the habit of eating at the wrong times," she recalls. "I'd snack on bits and pieces when I was giving the children their tea and I didn't do any exercise."

Mavis, who now has nine grandchildren and three step-grandchildren, was widowed six years ago when her husband Gerald, an engineer, died. At the time she weighed more than 14 stone.

She agreed to go along with her friend Margaret to the local Weight Watchers class. "I was nervous wondering how I'd get on," she says, "But I really enjoyed it."

She followed the eating plan, and is now down to her 'target' weight of ten stone. Her new look has led not only to her shopping at 'young' fashion stores, but wearing a figure-hugging swimsuit on holiday and going to a gym for the first time.

"I'd had a swimsuit in the drawer for donkey's years then, three years ago I went to Australia on holiday and I bought a new one."

"Then, on another trip, I went to Blackpool with my daughter Heather and we went in the hotel pool. They also had a gym and I said to her: "I've never been in a gym, let's have a look."

Mavis had a go on the running machine and on returning to Keighley joined the No 7 gym.

She says " I'm still a bit frightened but I love it and I feel on top of the world. I don't want to lose any more weight, just to tone up and get rid of a bit of flesh from my arms." She also works out at home.

Linda Brown, Weight Watchers leader in Keighley says: "As confidence comes in one area you become more confident in other things. We have watched Mavis - she was quite shy and nervous for a while, then out came this person who is a lot younger in ways than she is in years."

Says Mavis: ""I don't feel 72 apart from my knees, where I've got arthritis, and my posture isn't great.