The UK’s heaviest man, who famously spent £22,000 on Chinese takeaways alone, has passed away just shy of his 34th birthday in a tragic turn of events. Jason Holton, hailing from Camberley, Surrey, was winched from his flat by a crane for hospital treatment last year after reaching the shocking weight of 50 stones.
His passing marks an early end to his battle with obesity, leaving his family, particularly his mother Leisa, 55, distraught.
Leisa said following his death: “He’s probably had about eight lives and I thought the doctors would be able to save him again, but sadly it wasn’t possible.”
Jason claimed the title of ‘UK’s heaviest man’ from Carl Thompson, who also passed away at 33 back in 2015. Thompson himself tipping the scales at an incredible 65 stone prior to his demise.
His overeating habits spiralled out of control upon the death of his mother which pushed him further into his deadly addiction to junk food, as reported by the Daily Star, reports the Mirror.
Carl’s issues began in his childhood when he started secretly raiding the fridge at night, leading him to struggle with serious overweight issues. In adulthood, he was known for having a huge breakfast consisting of four sausages, five fried eggs, fried bread, mushrooms, and a bowl of cereal.
For lunch, he indulged in a feast of pasta, chips, bacon, pork pies, crisps, pasties, sandwiches and chocolate. Come dinner time, his choice was either a Chinese or Indian takeaway.
In the last six years alone, he splashed out an eye-watering £22,000 on takeaways, eventually becoming bedbound in his Dover flat, where he consumed a staggering 10,000 calories daily. Known as a “gentle giant”, he spent £200 weekly on takeaways and online shopping, even giving fast food joints a key to his place so they could deliver right to his bedside.
In a heart-wrenching appearance on Channel 5’s Supersized documentary just weeks before his passing, he vowed to change his life to enjoy everyday activities. He shared with the documentary team: “I want to walk around my flat and get to my bed and get to the toilet and get to the bathroom first. That’s my first goal. The second goal is to get around this flat with no problem whatsoever.”
He continued optimistically: “When I finally get stronger and stronger, I can do that. Then I’ll have no problems whatsoever. I’ll go from using a zimmer frame and crutches for the small things but once I’m off the zimmer frame and more confident with the crutches, then I can do anything that I can’t do because I’m fat.”
His motivation for shedding pounds was deeply personal; he yearned to play in the park with his one year old nephew. Carl expressed his deep affection, saying he “loved him to bits” and had the fervent wish to watch him grow, marry, and start a family.
Tragically, Carl’s battle came to a heartbreaking end when he was discovered deceased in his home in June 2015, shortly after indulging in crumble and ice cream. This followed a poignant plea for help on This Morning just a month prior, where he expressed his deep-seated fears about undergoing gastric band surgery.
During the emotional interview from his bed, the host detailed Carl’s inability to dress himself or leave his house for more than a year. Gasping for breath, Carl admitted to viewers that he had been trying to curb his excessive eating.
In a heartfelt cry for assistance, he implored: “Any professional opinion or other knowledge would be great. I’ve had a lot of that coming in anyway but the more the better. I could die, that’s the bottom line if I keep going the way I do. Because of what I eat I’m missing out on everything in life.”
Carl shared his eagerness to consult with a dietician and a psychiatrist rather than risk the potential perils of a gastric band, following doctors’ stark warnings that he needed to shed 70% of his body weight to dodge an untimely demise.
At the time of his candid revelation, Carl was reliant on incapacity benefits and depended on NHS staff for daily tasks such as bathing and meal preparation. Despite his determination to turn his life around, it was a case of too little, too late for Carl.
Following the tragic news, Merdad Mohebbi, owner of Q Pizza near the deceased’s residence, spoke to The Sun, revealing: “I can’t believe it. He had cut right down on what he was eating. He was only ordering one or two things a day. When I took the order he seemed happy enough. He was talking about going to the hospital and they were going to do tests on him. He was full of life.”
A friend paid their respects saying: “I have just seen that Carl Thomspon has sadly died. I’ve known Carl many years and (he) was a very good friend of mine when I lived in Dover. I used to play pool and have a few pints with him when he was mobile. I can’t believe it, so tragic.”
Ronald Williams, who lived next door, commented on the difficulty faced by emergency services, stating it took them “several hours” to remove the body, while Lyn Garret expressed her condolences on Twitter: “RIP UK Heaviest man Carl Thompson. Gentle Giant. Dover is in shock.”
