I became a naturist after splitting from my husband of 40 years --[Reported by Umva mag]

When Gill Allbutt split from her husband of 40 years, she wanted to regain her confidence after the relationship ‘ran its course.’

And so, she decided to turn to naturism to boost her self-esteem, having felt self-conscious about her appearance since she was a teenager.

Over the last few months, she’s embraced the naturist lifestyle with visits to nudist campsites, tried naked swimming, sat as a model at various life drawing classes and has even played the ukulele to an audience – all in her birthday suit.

Gill, who has four children, made the decision to split from her now ex-husband in May after the pair ‘just ran out of road.’

‘We’d been together all of my life…my ex is a good and lovely man who is very supportive of me so this wasn’t about anything he did,’ Gill, who lives in Birmingham, tells What’s The Jam.

She’d started venturing into the waters of naturism before she separated from her husband, noting that it ‘branched out’ after they went their separate ways.

‘I wanted to live my best life and be independent in my own body,’ she adds.

‘This is the bravest decision I’ve ever made but when you split from someone you spent 40 years with, there is a hole in your life. Your safety net is gone.’

Before the split, Gill never felt like she had a handle on her own sense of identity – and that’s where embracing the naturist lifestyle has helped her.

‘To me, getting naked in front of people epitomises total freedom in her body,’ she shares.

‘It feels amazing but it’s the weirdest thing in the world for someone who has always been insecure about their body.’

Though her confidence is still a work in progress, she feels naturism is helping her ‘massively’ – and now even ‘hugs people in the nude,’ describing herself as a ‘free spirit’ and ‘a woman who doesn’t want to feel ashamed about her body.’

After she gave birth to her children, having welcomed her daughter Julia at the age of 20, she struggled with her post-pregnancy body. Her son Tom, now 37, was born three years later.

‘I have a big bust which brings attention to me and I have bits on my belly from having children,’ Gill recalls, adding that she also has a scar from having a tumour removed.

‘Body image affects everything – being ashamed of your body can kill you,’ Gill adds.

‘It can stop you from going to medical appointments and getting mammograms. I didn’t want my own feelings about my body to hold me back.’

Nudity journey aside, Gill is also enjoying travelling the world, and is currently learning about spirituality at an Ashram in Bali.

What’s more, she’s aiming to collate her experiences into a book aimed at encouraging other women to feel confident in their bodies – and is attempting to fundraise £1,000 towards her cause.

‘I want to raise money for me to have experiences and then write a book about them,’ Gill says.

‘My friends said I’ve helped them with their own body image and I met a woman at a waterfall in Portugal who had a mastectomy and had never taken her top off.

‘She saw me naked and got naked as well. It was beautiful.’

All in all, Gill and her ex-husband have remained friends and both their children are supportive of Gill’s journey. They’ve even been on holiday together since splitting.

‘When I set up the fundraiser, my husband said “you go girl, keep being you” and I thought it was lovely,’ Gill shares.

‘They’re proud of me – but they were proud of me before. I am loving my new life.’

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