Audrey Phillip Chawner too fat to work now lost weight X Factor

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'People can't call us Teletubby scroungers now'

Thursday 01 July 2010

Obese Audrey and Philip Chawner sparked outrage last year when they told Closer they hadn’t worked for 11 years because of weight-related illnesses. The couple and their daughters, 27st Samantha and 19st Emma – who are notorious for their dire auditions on The X Factor – lived on benefits and watched TV all day.

chawners

The Chawners, who had a combined weight of 93st and ate at least 3,000 calories a day each, refused to diet, claiming their weight problems were hereditary.

But now the family, from Blackburn, are officially on their first-ever diet! They eat just three small meals a day, and don’t consume more than 1,500 calories and 12g of fat. They also exercise for three hours daily and have personal training sessions with Coleen Rooney’s fitness instructor, Elise Lindsay.

So far they have lost 17st between them and they’ve exclusively posed for Closer in a Roman banquet-themed shoot – where they used all their willpower to shun the cakes and pastries!

chawners

“People can’t shout ‘Teletubbies’ at us any more,” says Samantha, who’s 5ft 9 and 21st after losing 6st and has gone from a size 30 to a 22. “And me and Emma don’t sign on any more so they can’t call us scroungers either!”

The family began their transformation in July 2009 when they appeared on TV show Lorraine Kelly’s Big Fat Challenge, where they were given advice on diet and exercise from doctors, fitness instructors and nutritionists.

Samantha, 22, says: “We were told to give up chips, sausages, bacon, bread and cheese, but we could eat as much fruit and veg as we want. We were a bit scared to try some of the veg – like broccoli and asparagus – but we loved them. The experts also told us to exercise daily. We were embarrassed about getting sweaty in public, so they installed a trampoline, a flexibar – a vibrating bar that tones the muscles – and boxing equipment at home.”

To kick-start their new regime, Samantha and Emma, who are both single, were sent to the Wellspring UK weight loss camp in Devon for a month.

“We learnt about calorie-counting and fat – I couldn’t believe how much fat there was in just one piece of KFC!” says 5ft 3 Emma, who now weighs 15st after losing 4st, and has dropped from a size 24 to a 16/18.

“There was no TV or time for relaxing. We went hiking, canoeing and hill-walking. We ate about 1,200 calories a day of controlled foods, but we could snack on healthy ‘free foods’ like fruit, veg and salad. It was a bit of
a shock and I admit I did argue a bit at first!”

The family would be called ‘Teletubbies’ in the street by strangers and lived on bacon butties for breakfast and pie and chips for dinner. But they claim they didn’t realise their diet was so bad until they went on the show.

Samantha says: “When Emma and I got home we threw everything out of the fridge and took charge of the shopping. Now for breakfast we all have a bowl of Rice Krispies and a cup of tea and lunch is mackerel or sardines with salad. Dinner is a jacket potato with beans, or grilled chicken and salad. chawners

“We snack on fruit and veg, don’t eat after 6pm and we only drink alcohol on special occasions. It was hard at first and we sometimes felt faint, but we got used to it.”

Meanwhile, Phil, 55 – who gave up his lorry driving job because he kept falling asleep at the wheel due to his weight-induced diabetes – was given a cookery class by celeb chef Aldo Zilli. Phil says: “I loved the class with Aldo – he taught us a great recipe with smoked haddock and now I cook it all the time.”

After losing 3st, 5ft 10 Phil is now 21st. Audrey, who’s 5ft 4, weighs 19st after losing 4st and going from a size 30 to a 26, adds: “We haven’t had a takeaway for a year!”

Phil and his daughters take their dog for an hour-long walk in the morning. Then they come back and do another hour session with the boxing equipment and trampoline. In the afternoon they do an hour’s housework.

Samantha says: “The experts told us that hoovering and carrying washing up and down the stairs burns lots of calories so we do housework every day. About once a week we see our personal trainer, and do cardio and toning with her for about two hours.”

Emma adds: “It was hard for us to get into exercise as we used to get out of breath just walking a few steps. But we like it now that we’re seeing the results. And we don’t watch telly all day now either.”

But Audrey, who says she had to crawl up the stairs when she was 23st, claims she’s too ill to exercise with the rest of the family.

“Because of my weight, I have severely high blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy and I could have a stroke at any time,” she explains.

Philip and Audrey, 58, still rely on benefits and are not looking for jobs as they say they are too ill to work, but

Samantha and Emma haven’t claimed any since November 2009 as they were fed up with being called scroungers. Samantha started running a hairdressing business from home, and now earns around £100 a month.

She says: “The amount I earn depends on what clients I get.”

Emma has applied for various jobs but still hopes to become a pop star – despite an ill-fated audition on The X Factor in 2008 and another with Samantha in 2009. She says: “I’m having singing lessons to prove everyone who made fun of my singing wrong.”

The family now aim to lose a further 22st between them. Audrey wants to weigh 15st, while Philip, Emma and Samantha all hope to slim down to 12st each.

Samantha adds: “If we reach our goal weights, a shopping spree and a holiday will be in order. But our only food treats will be grapes and strawberries. We hope to inspire other obese families to follow in our footsteps. If we can do it, anyone can.”

By Claire McAteer

Lorraine Kelly’s Next Big Fat Challenge is on Tuesdays, 8pm, on the Bio channel and starts 24 August.