The former 'world's fattest man' has proudly told how he managed to defy the odds and doctors warnings that he would die before 40 after successfully losing an extreme amount of weight.
Paul Mason is more than chuffed that he now no longer holds the title for being the heaviest bloke on the planet, which he became known as after tipping the scales at a whopping 70 stone (444.5kg).
At his peak, he was shovelling down 20,000 calories per day and he became the biggest ever person from the UK that has ever been recorded - a record which he still holds to this day.
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He'd get through 40 chocolate bars, fry-ups and takeaways, among other things, in the space of 24 hours.
Paul opened up about his struggles in The World’s Fattest Man documentary, explaining that his excessive eating began in his 20s as he used food as a way to combat his childhood trauma.
The 64-year-old believes the verbal and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, a military policeman, and the sexual abuse he endured for three years by a woman known to his family triggered his binge-eating problems.
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Doctors warned he was munching his way to an early grave and predicted that he would not live past the age of 40 - however, thanks to Paul's hard work and determination, he has incredibly defied his doomed prognosis.
He underwent a gastric bypass in 2015 to help him shed the pounds and got down to 19 stone, before having a few other operations to remove his excess skin - which he said left him feeling as 'light as a feather'.
At the time, Paul, from Ipswich, Suffolk, was in a relationship with US woman Rebecca Mountain, and he moved across the pond to start a new life with her.
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She had first saw her future fella in the documentary regarding his weight back in 2013 and later slid into his DMs on Facebook, before they soon started chatting away on Skype.
When they finally ditched the long-distance aspect of their relationship, the couple gushed about their 'great' sex life and feverish 'physical and emotional chemistry' - and in 2014, Rebecca proposed to her man.
But although things might have looked good from the outside, Paul revealed that he was still facing a battle internally with his weight and admitted that his 'mind was not right'.
He explained: "I weren't that 19 stone person. Your body, it takes time to adjust and your mind definitely - I was carrying that for so long, and struggled with all the issues around it all."
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Paul said although he looked 'thin' in the mirror, he still felt like 'that person carrying that excess skin' and found himself slipping back into old habits.
He continued: "For me it was the crisps every night. Go to sleep for a couple of hours and wake up. It started when I was living with Rebecca, she could hear at night me rustling the old crisp packets you know."
Ultimately, the pair weren't meant to be and it was a simple loaf of bread which proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
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Paul moved back to the UK in 2021 - where he fell seriously ill during the pandemic and was hospitalised, but not before he was filmed by those on the street as he was hauled out of his home by firefighters using a tarpaulin.
He spent 18 months in hospital, which he says was a 'real kick in the teeth' as it stunted his weight-loss progress.
However, returning back to his roots gave him the chance to 'get his life back on track' - and he's now concentrating on his mental health while vowing to never become the world's fattest man ever again.
Paul now weighs 36 stone and is bedridden, living in a purpose-built flat that's party of a residential care facility on the South Coast, but he's buzzing to still be here.
He added: "A doctor once told me I would be lucky to make 40 and now here I am, nearly a pensioner.
"I may not walk again now but I am at one with that. I just want to use my time to help others and make sure they don't make the same mistakes I did."
The former postman said he was rocked by the death of Britain's heaviest man, Jason Holton, who passed away just a week before his 34th birthday while weighing around 50 stone.
Paul said: "He was only 33, he had seen nothing of life. The [food] addiction beat him. I feel so bad for his mum and his poor family, wish I could have helped him overcome it, but I did my best."
Paul is now working with specialist psychologist Dr Laura Williams to address his food issues head on and hopefully find the source of them, as he believes the recovery process starts with 'the mind and therapy'.
Best of luck to you, Paul.
Topics: Health, Mental Health, UK News, Food And Drink
Olivia Burke