'World's fattest man' became compulsive eater after lover dumped him

London, Jan 4 (ANI): A British man, who bagged the title of world's fattest person, has revealed that he became a compulsive eater only after his girlfriend dumped him.

Paul Mason, 50, ended up weighing 70 stone, as he scoffed food 24 hours a day in a desperate bid to ease his heartache, and by 2009 he was a grotesque figure and unable to walk.

Mason, of Ipswich, needed surgery to drastically cut his food intake and to help him survive, and since then he has shed more than 30 stone and the title.

He now hopes to be able to find love again, revealing he shared a happy dinner with a special lady friend on Boxing Day.

"I have not been close to a woman for a very long time. I want that to change. And for the first time in years there is someone who makes me think about romance," the Sun quoted him as saying.

"There is a wonderful lady in my life who does not realise how special she is. She has helped me through thick and thin.

"I do not want to name her as she's very shy. She wrote offering her support. We have been friends ever since. She also had an eating disorder and she has a son, to whom I try to be a good example," he added. (ANI)