The benefits couple who are too FAT to work: Newlyweds who weigh 54 stone between them claim ?2,000 a month ? and they say it's the Government's fault
A couple who weigh more than 54 stone between them and claim ?2,000 a month in benefits because they are 'too fat to work' have blamed the Government for making it too easy for them.
Stephen Beer and Michelle Coombe, are from Plymouth, Devon, where 60 per cent of adults are overweight.
Mr Beer, who has been married six times, weighs 31 stone and has not worked in five years. He relies on carers to come in twice a day to clean and dress him.
Stephen Beer and Michelle Coombe, are from Plymouth, where 60 per cent of adults are overweight. The couple, who weigh more than 54 stone between them and claim ?2,000 a month in benefits, have wed in a ?3,000 ceremony - paid for by the taxpayer
His partner Ms Coombe has never worked and at 23 stone claims she is too big to find a job.
The couple were filmed by the makers of Benefits: Too Fat To Work, a Channel 5 documentary about benefit claimants who claim their weight prevents them from working.
Defending himself on ITV's This Morning, Mr Beer explained to hosts Philip Schofield and Christine Bleakley that he applied for a job where he would only be required to sit down but was told he was overweight.
He then added: 'The government are making it easy for people like us. I don't think I deserve benefits - I put myself in the situation. I'm trying to sort myself out.'
The couple are among 12,000 people who received Disability Living Allowance last year because they have metabolic disease - the medical term for a combination of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The Department for Work and Pensions statistics show that the number of claimants with the condition has more than doubled from around 5,500 five years ago.
Despite claiming they are unable to find jobs because potential employers are prejudiced against fat people, Mr Beer and his future wife can be seen eagerly planning their ?3,000wedding ceremony, paid for out of their benefits.
Producers followed them as they organised the ceremony - including canapes and a buffet provided by their favourite kebab shop, and custom made outfits for the pair of them - from their one bedroom flat in Plymouth, paid for out of housing benefits.
He can't stand up for more than a few minutes at a time, he relies on a council carer to get washed and dressed - at a cost to the taxpayer of ?8,000 a year - and he can only get around on a specially adapted mobility scooter for the obese
He struggles to chop vegetables for his beloved pasta dish without becoming out of breath.
The documentary - to air tonight - shows the couple escorted between the register office and Church by a fleet of motorbikes. But their wedding came to an abrupt end as Mr Beer is taken ill at the reception and taken away in an ambulance.
The programme also follows Amy Johnstone, who at just 18-years-old already weighs 32 stone.
She is virtually housebound and unable to do the most basic things for herself, including wash, and as such is entitled to ?240 a fortnight in Disability Benefits.
Amy said: 'I couldn't physically get one (a job).
'I wouldn't be able to manage. I would be in pain. It's not my fault that i'm like this.
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