EDDIE Hall has been crowned the World's Strongest Man today - becoming the first Brit to take the title in 24 years.

Hall - nicknamed The Beast - has made history by winning the contest in Botswana today.

11 Eddie Hall holds his trophy aloft at the grand final of World's Strongest Man today Credit: Twitter@Mustard_Seed1

11 The Beast has been crowned the world's strongest man at the contest in Botswana

Hall, from Clayton, Staffs., came out on top in the squat lift, Viking press and deadlift rounds on his way to winning the finals ahead of Iceland's Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who finished second.

The Icelandic strongman is well-known for playing The Mountain in Game of Thrones.

Hall also beat four-time winner Brian Shaw, from the USA, who finished in third place in the contest in Gamborone.

11 Eddie celebrates after winning an event during the qualifying rounds

The 31-stone strongman vowed to win the title even if it killed him in an exclusive interview with The Sun yesterday.

The dad-of-two's training regime includes eating raw steaks and consuming 12,000 calories a day.

The qualifying round for the contest took place between May 20 and 23, followed by the Grand Final yesterday and today.

Thirty strongmen competed for the 10 places in the final.

He revealed how maintaining his massive weight puts a huge strain on his body and means he cannot fit into cars or chairs.

He said: "I’m chasing a dream. I just want to win World’s Strongest Man once.

"But I’ve got to be level-headed and think not only about myself but my family, my kids.

"I don’t want them growing up without a dad. I just want to win the worlds, do what I’m destined to do then drop to around 25st. That will be a nice safe level for me."

11 Strongman Eddie Hall was the UK's hope at the World's Strongest Man tournament this year Credit: SWpix.com

Before the contest, he said: “I can’t go into restaurants without breaking a chair. Fitting through single doorways, I have to turn sideways.

“Getting in and out of a car is impossible as the seats don’t go back far enough.

“I’m not the tallest man but because of my muscle thickness my head always touches the roof.”

11 Eddie 'The Beast' Hall finds it a bit difficult to have a normal life because of his huge size Credit: Rex Features

As for his clothes, Eddie, who is nicknamed “The Beast”, is a size 5XL, wears shirts with a 25in neck and secures his 80in-waist trousers with a massive belt. He needs them so big “so they fit my legs”.

He adds: “I’m beyond even the fat b****** sizes.”

But the Stoke powerhouse, 29, said his weight gain has brought on sleep apnoea and the only way to deal with it is to snooze wearing an oxygen mask.

11 Eddie puts a huge strain on his body when training - so much that being a strongman could kill him

11 Eddie Hall's gruelling strongman training regime includes swimming sessions Credit: Rex Features

11 The pool sessions hark back to the strongman's youth when he was a promising swimmer Credit: Rex Features

He said: “To put it blankly, if I stayed like this for another ten years I’d die. Being this size and this weight is a dark place.

“All the organs are under pressure.

“I am two big guys, two 15½st people in one unit. It’s almost impossible. Sleep is horrendous as there is so much muscle mass on my lungs and throat.

“But Strongman comes first — I’m that obsessed with it."

MOST READ IN NEWS SHORT SHARP LOCK Pubs & restaurants could shut completely within days in two-week lockdown Exclusive CARROT AND STICK Workers told to isolate with Covid symptoms will be given cash lump sum Exclusive HERO SWEDE How ice-cool scientist saved Sweden from Covid WITHOUT lockdown WATCH OUT 18 new places on coronavirus watch list revealed – with 2 areas added this week Exclusive VILE VIDS 'Pedo filmed himself raping baby while changing diaper’ as pal says she told mom HOLIDAY TRAGEDY Mum, 33, found dead on holiday from alcohol poisoning after 'drink session'

11 Eddie started out as a promising swimmer training with the likes of Rebecca Adlington Credit: Instagram

He was expelled from school at 15, despite being a gifted student, and started lifting weights to fill the time.

Eddie, whose hero is bodybuilder-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, says: “That’s when the journey began and I had this fascination of sculpting my body like Arnie.

“I became the strongest in my gym, then I realised I was the strongest in the area, then the Midlands.”

He was crowned England’s strongest man at 21, Britain’s best at 23 and finished sixth at his first World’s Strongest Man in 2014.

11 Eddie consumes 12,000 calories a day to maintain his strength Credit: rickfindler@hotmail.co.uk