A woman may only be able to eat 'a couple of Haribo' on her own wedding day after developing the 'life sentence' of a paralysed stomach. Gabriella Overton had gone for a trip away in Bath with her fiancée Elle Dushossoy, 30, in February last year and had been feeling ill all day.

After a romantic meal, the 33 year old found herself in 'horrendous' agony on the bathroom floor being sick. Upon returning from her staycation, her condition 'spiralled' and every time she ate she would be left unable to move on the floor in pain. Despite being tested for coeliac disease, five different cancers, malaria, dengue fever and more, every test came back clear and her weight continued to plummet as she continued to be sick.

A heartbreaking photo shows a 'skeletal' Gabriella, who at her smallest weight of 6.7st [43kg] admits size four clothes 'hung off her'. Eventually Gabriella was admitted to the gastroenterology ward in November 2025 and underwent a study to measure how quickly food left her stomach. This led to her being told her stomach was partially paralysed and she was diagnosed with gastroparesis in February this year.

• 21-year-old who couldn't balance after holiday died three months after diagnosis


• Doctor Amir Khan wants people who 'feel tired all the time' to take a blood test

She now has a permanent feeding tube fitted through her abdomen into her stomach and small intestines and may have this for life. Gabriella, who now weighs 8st [52kg], is set to get married to her partner Elle. Sadly due to her diagnosis she will not be able to partake in cake tasting or planning their wedding food and probably won't be able to eat their chosen set menu on the big day.

Instead she has a tiny list of 'safe foods' - consisting of just ginger biscuits, a square of Galaxy or Lindt chocolate or a couple of Haribo, but admits these don't always stay down either. She is now speaking out about her 'invisible' illness as she wants people to be aware that you can't always 'see' how poorly someone is or what they're going through.

Gabriella, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, said: "My partner and I went away to Bath together and we had drinks, lunch, and then we went to dinner and I was so unwell. I felt ill all day but I pushed through it but the excruciating pain and sickness was in the night when I couldn't move from the bathroom floor. It was horrendous.

"Throughout the day I didn't eat and drink as much as I normally could as my appetite was shrinking. We went to a cheese and wine place and then we went to the Ivy for dinner that evening and it was that night I felt ill. The photo of me posing with a croissant was taken the next day but it was just for the photo, I couldn't eat it.

"It wasn't food poisoning, I was convulsing and I was in agony. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach with an electrode. It was horrendous. From here it slowly spiralled. I would try and eat a meal at home and I would just be on the floor unable to move."

At first, the size 12 account manager believed her symptoms to be an intolerance to a food group so cut out bread and was tested for coeliac disease. But when these tests came back clear, five-foot-three Gabriella turned to medical professionals to investigate her digestive issues further.

Over the next few months, she claims she was tested for five cancers and even had her tonsils removed as a precaution but she continued to throw up after eating. She even claims she was tested for tropical infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever as she has been an Emirates flight attendant in Dubai for six years.

But all of her results came back clear and as medical professionals looked into her stomach issues, she continued to throw up and lose weight. Gabriella said: "From May it got a step worse. I was never hungry and more food was making me feel worse. I felt nauseous all the time.

"I got worse after this. I was probably only about to eat around 500 to 600 calories and anything I was eating I was throwing up. My absolute worst was in October and I was at 50kgs and they told me my BMI wasn't great and I needed to see a dietician. By the time I got an appointment I was down to 47kgs.

"I went away for my mum's 70th birthday in November and I couldn't keep anything down. I was in constant agony and being sick. They had ruled out cancer and tropical diseases and they didn't know what it was. At this point I was broken and my partner was so worried because I was skeletal.

"[At my lowest] size four clothes were hanging off me. At the minute, inevitably for the rest of my life I won't be able to eat normally. I'm very lucky that my GP and my gastro consultant pushed like they did as I don't think I would be alive in all honesty if they didn't due to the amount of weight I was losing.

"[For our wedding], we've got cake tasting and need to sort out our menu and it's something I won't be able to be part of. It should be fun trying out all of the foods for our menu [but I won't be able to].

"[At my wedding], it'll probably be a case where I will be dished up the same as everybody but I'll just sit there and have a mouthful if I can. At the moment, I probably won't be able to eat anything at my wedding. I might be able to try it, that's the outlook I have currently."

To try and stop her condition from getting worse, now size six Gabriella is encouraged to try and eat around 400 calories a day as well as her feeding tube feed. However sometimes she says all she can manage is a full fat diet Coke and this can take her up to two hours to drink.

Gabriella said: "They want you to try and still eat. My stomach is partially paralysed and it's not curable and won't get better but it can progress further. If I refuse to eat, my digestive system might unlearn how to work. I'm a hundred percent reliant on my feeds. I have a can of full fat coke a day and this can sometimes take an hour or two hours to drink.

"Some days all I can have is a full fat coke, other days I can have around 400 calories worth of food but this might not even stay down. It's not real food."

In September last year Gabriella also began being treated for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome [POTS] and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome [MCAS]. While it is not certain if her gastroparesis is linked to these conditions, she says there could be a connection.

Gabriella is now speaking out about her chronic illness and says she dreams of being able to enjoy a meal out with her partner without throwing up or being in pain. Gabriella said: "When you see me now and I've got my make up on, because people can't see my tube they think I'm better now.

"It's really hard for people to grasp the concept that I won't get better and this is my new normal. It sounds horrible but if you have cancer, you either get better or it's a death sentence. With a chronic illness, it's like a life sentence. Looks can be deceiving. Just because someone looks fine doesn't mean they are, they could be hiding and handling so much.

"I used to love drinking, having wine and cocktails and drinking on date nights but drinking alcohol over the last year has been non-existent. If anything, my dream would be to be able to go on holiday with my partner and have a sit down meal with her, with drinks and desserts and enjoy ourselves without me being in pain."