Edinburgh woman inspired to perform ‘sex kitten’ Burlesque after five stone weight loss

At the end of 2013 Lynsey Young was just under 15 stone, low in self-confidence, and had been told she wouldn’t be able to have children.

Lynsey Young as her Burlesque 'sex kitten' character. Picture: Contributed

Now she has a daughter and son and has just finished a run at the Fringe performing Burlesque as ‘sex kitten’ Miss Tickle Pink.

Young, 31, had been trying to lose weight for ten years before she joined the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan in January 2014. By May of that year she had lost five stone.

Soon after losing weight Ms Young became pregnant, and her son was born in 2015, followed soon after by a daughter.

Lynsey Young (right) before her weight loss. Picture: Contributed.

“I call them my Cambridge Weight Plan babies!” said Ms Young, who is now a 1:1 Diet consultant.

Her weight loss had another dramatic effect on Ms Young: her self-confidence was transformed.

Looking for a way to keep fit, she started Burlesque dancing lessons at the Sassy School of Burlesque, and soon found she had enough confidence to perform.

“I’m not a dancer by trade,” Ms Young said, “and I had never danced before. But I decided to give it a go.”

Lynsey Young after her weight loss. Picture: Contributed.

Ms Young performed in a show with the school in May, and then took part in the school’s Fringe show, Absolute Burlesque.

She choreographed her own routine and starred in five solo performances as ‘sex kitten’ Miss Tickle Pink.

“I loved it,” Ms Young said. “I’m having withdrawal symptoms now it’s over!” Ms Young’s favourite part of the experience were the costumes and getting ready for each performance. .

As part of the Burlesque act Ms Young removes several items of clothing, including her dress and bra.

“But I always have tassles on!” she says. “Burlesque is about teasing, not stripping.”

She came on stage to Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’, which inspired her being introduced as a ‘sex kitten’.

“I’m not a sex kitten in real life!” she adds

She added: “For me it was a case of pushing boundaries. It was my thing, it was my burlesque character. At that moment I wasn’t a mum, I wasn’t a consultant, I was just me.”

Ms Young says the benefit of the diet was more the gain in her confidence than the actual weight loss.

“Having done the diet and knowing that I could do it gave me the confidence to push myself,” she said.

“I used to walk through shops or the supermarket with my head down. Now I walk with my head held high, I can see people, and they can see me. Nothing is going to rock that confidence now.”