One of inspirational Casey Gemmell’s earliest memories is sitting in the lounge of her childhood home, watching her dad in the boxing ring at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Casey’s father, Kevin Barry, won New Zealand’s first Olympic boxing medal that year, returning from Los Angeles with silver.
“It was on one of those old-school boxy TVs and my mum was yelling her head off at dad in the ring,” recalls Casey, who was five at the time.
As the first-born child of Kevin, a boxing champ and later coach, Casey grew up in the shadow of her father’s gym in Christchurch. “I remember riding my bike alongside [boxer] David Tua as he did laps around the block in Casebrook,” says Casey, now 37.
At her heaviest, Casey weighed 159kg. After dropping almost half her body weight, you can sure spot the difference!
Today, Kevin runs a gym in Las Vegas and trains world heavyweight contender Joseph Parker. But as a child growing up in his world of boxing, Casey was waging her own battle.
She began piling on weight when she was 10 – and by the time she was 30, she weighed 159kg. “Despite the health and fitness I was exposed to, I became morbidly obese,” she tells. “I was living my life just waiting to die.”
Trainer dad Kevin with Joseph Parker.
But four years ago, Casey made a decision to turn things around. Now living in Perth with her husband Julian Gemmell and their children, Willow, 11, and five-year-old Xavier, Casey has so far shed a staggering 74kg – almost half her body weight. And having overhauled her life without medication or surgery, she wants to share her story to inspire others and prove anything is possible.
“If someone told me I would one day become the person I went to bed dreaming about, I would have laughed and replied, ‘Dreams are free.’ But I’m living my dream and I am winning my fight.”
Casey with Willow at her 2008 wedding.
When Casey was nine, her beloved mother Lee Wakefield was killed in a car accident in the Port Hills of Christchurch. She admits, “The next few years were a blur.”
To this day, Casey has few memories between the ages of nine and 14. “Dad tried with me, but he didn’t know what to do. Dads can’t be mums and mums can’t be dads.”
Food became her best friend and her worst enemy. “Dad was busy in the gym, so I would just go home and eat. For the next 20 years, I hid behind a plate of food.” As a 15-year-old schoolgirl, she weighed 85kg. “My nickname back then was ‘Bus Arse Barry’ and the other kids would sing AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ whenever I walked past.”
Mum Lee (left) was killed when Casey was just nine. Right: with boxer David Tua.
When Casey was 17, she met her future husband Julian, now 41. At their wedding in 2008, she weighed 134kg and needed a custom-made dress.The photos from their special day still make Casey cringe and are hidden away in a cupboard. “My husband loves me unconditionally but I used to wonder why,” she admits.
Casey says those around her spent years encouraging her to get healthy. “My husband bought me a Swiss ball and dad got me the best advice, supplements and vitamins. I did Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, but nothing worked.”
In 2011, Casey and Julian moved to Perth for a fresh start in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes. The following year was Xavier’s first birthday. He had a superhero-themed party at which Casey wore a size XXXXXL Batwoman outfit.
“It was a dress, but on me, it was a top. On September 27, 2012, I saw a photo of me in it and it didn’t even look like me. That day, I began my weight-loss journey.”
Casey downloaded an app on how to run five kilometres in eight weeks. “I thought, ‘That’s rubbish,’ but I thought I’d try it anyway.” At first, she could only run for 30 seconds. “And I was so puffed out I looked like I’d been chased by an axe murderer,” she laughs. But in time, things got easier.
Locals began to recognise Casey on her neighbourhood circuit, and would cheer her on and offer high-fives as she ran with son Xavier in the buggy.
Accompanying her on every single run was her dedicated husband. “He is the man of my dreams and I couldn’t have done this without him.”
Casey changed her diet only when she began to see the results of her exercise routine.She went “cold turkey” for two-and-a-half years, living on a semi-Paleo diet that banned sugar, cheese and most carbs.
Now she’s more relaxed and allows herself a few treats. “I understand my body now,” she tells. “That’s the difference.”
And nearly four years on, she’s close to losing her goal of 80kg. “I always wanted to lose half of myself,” she jokes.
Casey with her support crew, hubby Julian, and kids Willow (left) and Xavier.
For Casey, the journey hasn’t only been about slimming down – it’s also been about revealing the new her to the world. Only recently has she been able to properly grieve for her mother. “I’ve made real changes to lots of different aspects of my life,” she says.
Now she’s keen to use her story to inspire others. She keeps a blog and is involved in motivational speaking.
Casey says people often ask her how a world-class boxer’s daughter brought up among athletes could manage to become so obese. “My answer is always, ‘I’m human.’ Anyone can struggle, but it’s what you do about it that makes the difference,” declares Casey.
“I’ve made that change and look at me now!”
