Paul Mason, who describes himself as Britain’s former fattest man, has announced plans to return to the UK from his home in the US so he can start claiming benefits again (Pictures: Rex)

A man once believed to have been the world’s fattest has announced plans to return to the UK from the United States so he can start claiming benefits again.

Paul Jonathan Mason, 59, – who proudly brands himself the ‘former world’s fattest man’ online, revealed he has almost doubled in size – from 275lbs (19 stone) to 500lbs (35 stone) – nine years after life-saving gastric band surgery.

He announced plans to return home on Monday afternoon, saying: ‘I need to return to the UK where I will be eligible for the assistance I need to get my life back on track.’

The disabled Brit, who has lived in Massachusetts since 2014, also revealed that he let his visa expire, implying that he has no choice but to leave the States.




Speaking on Monday, he said: ‘I want to give you all an update on my situation.

Paul, pictured in 2010, weighed 980lbs at his heaviest, before life-saving gastric surgery in 2010 (Picture: Rex)

‘After nearly 5 years living in the US, the time has come for me to soon return to the UK.

‘I will go into more detail in the coming weeks and months, but what I can say now is that over the years living in the US I made some wrong decisions which has led to some bad consequences.’

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The retired postal worker added: ‘Some of those being letting my visa expire, moving in with someone who was a bad influence and because of these and other choices I made, I’ve put on weight.

‘I’m now around 500 pounds, up from my lowest weight of 275.

‘Looking forward, I need to return to the UK where I will be eligible for the assistance I need to get my life back on track.’ Paul is said to have turned to food to console himself after splitting up with his fiancee last year (Picture: Rex) Paul is said to have relapsed and gotten addicted to food again after splitting with his girlfriend in 2018, with his binges almost doubling his weight, and putting him at risk of multiple health complications. At his heaviest, Paul weighed in at 980 pounds and spent the decade before his gastric band operation bed-bound at his old home in Ipswich, Suffolk. Lufthansa to trial pre-flight coronavirus tests that give results in 15 minutes He piled on the pounds after comfort eating to try and console himself about his size, but was eventually granted an NHS gastric bypass operation in 2010. Paul then had two free operations at New York’s Lennox Hill Hospital to remove around 60 pounds of excess skin which hung from his body after he lost weight. Firefighters then removed him from the property with a forklift. Last November, Paul was charged with using his mobility scooter to steal $225 of goods including perfume and phone chargers from a Walmart near his home, before driving off on his electric scooter.