Andrew Hill, one half of ‘Britain’s fattest couple’ has lashed out at the “vitriolic”, “ignorant” and “cruel” tweets he has received since appearing on Shut-Ins: Britain’s Fattest People.
On Wednesday (16 January), Channel 4 viewers tuned in for the second episode of the documentary series following the struggle of three severely morbidly obese people as they attempt to regain control of their lives before it is too late.
Read more: Viewers in war of words over 40-stone woman in Shut-Ins: Britain’s Fattest People
We met 36-stone Andrew, who described how his life had come to a halt because of his size, meaning he was unable to leave the house.
A surgeon recommended a new and experimental surgery to help him regain his life but, for the operation to go ahead, Andrew had to prove he was committed to sticking to a high protein diet that he will have to eat for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, wife Sharon – who appeared in the first series – has managed to get her weight down after a similar surgery.
Read more: James Jordan says obese people need to take responsibility for their weight
The pair are desperate to have kids and have managed to lose 28 stone between them in a bid to get out of the house and get healthier.
Talking to the camera, Sharon said: “I’m the woman who can’t seem to get pregnant. Could I give up chocolate and cake if I had a small bundle of love for the rest of my life?
“Yes! But the disappointment every month and the years of never having a stripe on a test makes me comfort eat.
“Does that make me weak? Probably. But yes I would give anything to be a mother, to be called mum.”
After Sharon began to lose weight thanks to her surgery and appearance in series one, her transformation did not initially have a positive impact on her former sales and marketing manager husband.
Quite the opposite, in fact, as he continued to comfort eat and gain weight.
At 37 stone, he was not able to work and was unable to leave their Cotswolds home.
Andrew told the Channel 4 documentary how his confidence was utterly shattered, saying: “My self worth is non-existent.”
He then took the difficult decision to have the same bariatic surgery his wife had had.
Sharon has managed to keep her weight down, but now her husband Andrew is weighing in at 36 stone and is trapped in the house #ShutIns tonight at 10pm pic.twitter.com/b7AIhRJk3x
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) January 16, 2019
Channel 4 viewers reacted in very different ways towards the couple – with some calling them names and blasting them suggesting they were wasting NHS money, while others had sympathy for their “addictions”.
One viewer said: “He’s doing really well #shutins look how well he’s doing.”
Another said: “Everyone in the comments about #ShutIns saying, just don’t eat, just don’t buy it. It’s simple. I think you’re missing something. It’s an addiction! It’s a disease! That’s like saying to a crack head, tell you what, just don’t buy it anymore. Simple! No. It really isn’t simple!”
A third added: “All those nasty little faceless trolls out there, it’s so easy to throw insults online, bet you are all a bundle of joy in real life.”
#ShutIns all those nasty little faceless trolls out there, it's so easy to throw insults online, bet you are all a bundle of joy in real life
— kaz (@girlieb71) January 16, 2019
Everyone in the comments about #ShutIns saying, just don't eat, just don't buy it. It's simple. I think you're missing something. It's an addiction! It's a disease! That's like saying to a crack head, tell you what, just don't buy it anymore. Simple! No. It really isn't simple!
— Z O E (@Lil_MiSi) January 16, 2019
He’s doing really well #shutins look how well he’s doing
— Rob Gilbert-Warsop (@robpw2) January 16, 2019
#ShutIns before you start with the nasty comments, eating disorders come in all forms, depression leads to comfort eat, then you're depressed so you eat more, it's like being on a roundabout you can't get off, so please stop with the insults
— kaz (@girlieb71) January 16, 2019
However, some just couldn’t feel any sympathy, with one saying: “It’s very simple. I wouldn’t walk around with a 20 stone backpack. The same way I wouldn’t walk around with 20+ stone of LARD attached to me because I didn’t know when to stop eating.”
One critic said: “Oh they have a bungalow, of course, too lazy to walk a flight of stairs.”
Another said: “This is self-inflicted through greed.”
A third added: “Yeah, he chose the easy option Just eating. Every day life is hard for millions of people, but we all dont take benefits & eat till we nearly kill ourselves.”
Yeah, he chose the easy option
Just eating.
Every day life is hard for millions of people, but we all dont take benefits & eat till we nearly kill ourselves— Tezz P (@TezzP) January 16, 2019
It's very simple. I wouldn't walk around with a 20 stone backpack. The same way I wouldn't walk around with 20+ stone of LARD attached to me because I didn't know when to stop eating 🤔😒 #shutins
— mynameisearl (@emcbraham91) January 16, 2019
Your not very nice are you … I have a chronic illness that makes going up stairs tough … but that doesn’t mean I’m lazy #shutins
— Rob Gilbert-Warsop (@robpw2) January 16, 2019
These people on #shutins aren’t well are they. Maybe naturally lazy? Mentally and physically?
— Jon (@jonr1d) January 16, 2019
In the end, Andrew himself waded in to the debate, thanking those for being supportive, and slamming the haters.
He said: “For every 20 vitriolic, ignorant, cruel tweets about me and/or my wife on #Shutins last night, there was an infinitely more valuable helpful one.
“Thank you to those who voiced their opinions without being [bleep]. The rest of you can swivel 🙂 And ffs trolls – learn to spell!”
Meanwhile, Sharon tweeted: “I would like to thank Channel 4 and Blink Films for without them neither my husband or I would have got surgery #privatesurgery #shutins We didn’t use the NHS.”
https://twitter.com/_Andrew_Hill_/status/1085875517050388480
I would like to thank Channel 4 and Blink Films for without them neither my husband or I would have got surgery #privatesurgery #shutins We didn’t use the NHS 😂😁
— Sharon Hill (@shaz2602) January 16, 2019
Next week’s Shut-Ins: Britain’s Fattest People focuses on 24-year-old single mum Emily.
She weighs 26 stone and binges on big breakfasts, takeaways and snacks.
Can a bariatric surgeon and a psychologist fix Emily’s compulsive eating?
Which side of the debate are you on? Lazy or addicts? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!