Man loses nine stone and gains fiancee

Rob, aged 53, said he had given up hope of ever finding love before meeting Kerry Cadman through the slimming group last year.

But when he achieved his target weight in June this year, Kerry asked Rob if she had any tips for shedding the pounds.

Romance blossomed, and the couple are now planning their wedding after Rob popped the question at a recent meeting of the group at Dudley's Station Hotel.

Rob, of Swancote Road, Dudley, joined the group in February, 2013, after being told by his doctor he could die if he did not lose weight.

At the time he was 22st 12lbs, and his GP told him he had the start of liver sclerosis and was borderline diabetic.

He achieved his target of losing eight stone in June this year, and is now a slimline 13st 11lbs.

"Kerry said she was having trouble losing weight, and asked if we could meet for a coffee to talk about it," said Rob, who is a full-time carer for his mother Joan.

"I had been in the group for about a year before I even spoke to her.

"I was very shy when I joined, I saw it was a roomful of women so I just sat at the back and kept quiet."

He said that as soon as he started talking to Kerry, who is 42, the pair got on like a house on fire, and he decided to pop the question after she reached her target of losing three stone.

Kerry, a 42-year-old care worker from Windsor Road, Rowley Regis, said Rob was very shy when he first joined the group, but as they started spending more time together he started to come out of his shell.

"We started going for coffees, and it just went from there. I found he was a nice person, he is very thoughtful, such a kind man."

Kerry, who works at Broadway Hall care home in Dudley, said she had an inkling Rob was about to propose, but was surprised when he popped the question at the meeting.

She said her children Carla, aged 21, Kirsty, 18, and Connor 11, and grandchildren Skye, 4, and Kailen(ALL COR) five months, were all delighted by the news.

"They have all really taken to Rob," she said.

The couple said plans were still at a very early stage, but they were hoping for a wedding next summer.

Rob added: "It's fantastic, joining the group has been one of the best things I have done.

"I haven't had a relationship for 27 years, and I had given up hope to tell the truth."

Rob now cycles 40-50 miles a week, is a regular on the golf course, and is down the gym for a work-out or a swim every few days.

A recent health check described him as borderline athletic', and in August he did a 40-mile cycle ride to raise nearly £600 for the Acorns Children's Hospice, which has a centre in Walsall.

Kerry, who was 15st when she joined the group, is now also enjoying her new slimline figure, now weighing 11st 10lbs.