A man who lost more than 20 stone has been showing off his dramatic transformation.

Dave Lancaster, 45, was nearly 35st when he joined Slimming World, and has now been named the group’s Man of the Year for 2018 after losing 20st.

“I’d been overweight for as long as I can remember. I tried all sorts to lose weight, and I even lost 10st on a meal replacement diet, but I learned nothing about healthy eating,” Mr Lancaster, from Warwick, said.

“At my biggest, my health really started to suffer. I had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain, high cholesterol, the beginnings of gout and sleep apnoea.

Dave Lancaster before his weightlossDave Lancaster before he started to lose weight (Slimming World/PA)

“I found it difficult to walk to the end of my road, so I rarely went out. It felt as though as I was getting bigger and bigger, my world was gradually shrinking.

“I knew I needed help, and finally, in April 2016, I decided to give Slimming World a try and joined my local group. I got a huge shock when I stepped on the scales and discovered I was nearly 3st heavier than I’d expected – I couldn’t believe what I’d done to my body and, that evening, I’m not ashamed to say I cried.”

Mr Lancaster said as his weight dropped he became more active, walking around his local park – at first just aiming to reach the next bench, but now he walks for around 10 miles a day.

Dave Lancaster with one of his earlier shirtsOne of the shirts Mr Lancaster wore at his heaviest (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

His blood sugar also dropped to such an extent that he no longer has type 2 diabetes, and this has given him improved eyesight, so he no longer needs to wear glasses.

He said: “I’ve got my life back and I couldn’t be happier. The world isn’t shrinking anymore, it’s getting bigger and bigger by the day!”