WHEN an ambulance was called for 46-stone James Bond last year, his doctor told him that unless he lost weight he had just days to live.

Now in a transformation that has seen him slash his body weight by more than half, Mr Bond, 38, has defied the odds to shed 24 stone in just over a year.

The Sobell House charity shop worker, of Woodfield Road, Bicester, said he was a football-mad child growing up and was the thinnest of his four brothers, but rapidly gained weight when he moved to a care home at 16.

He said: “I was a really fit lad, always playing football, then I started getting big when I went to a children’s home at 16.

“For the first time, I just had so much choice of food. I didn’t even have to ask so I just kept eating and got up to 20 stone.

“Then I left to live in Banbury at 18 and from there I just kept on stuffing my face. I started eating 18 packets of crisps a day and two litres of orangeade so when I got to 25, I weighed 32 stone. In my 30s I kept on eating and got to 46 stone.

“I have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and I used to get very angry so eating was a comfort thing for me. Then I had marriage problems which made me want to eat more.”

In his 30s, Mr Bond’s diet began with a full English breakfast with toast and orangeade, before moving on to 16 sandwiches and 18 packets of crisps for lunch.

Battles with ADHD, OCD and his weight had also left the him on anti-depressants because of suicidal feelings.

For dinner he would indulge in six burgers, a big plate of chips, orangeade and would regularly add a KFC, takeaways, McDonald’s, pork pies and cakes.

At 46 stone and with a body mass index (BMI) of 63, Mr Bond said a colleague’s comments forced him to start a diet last April. Then while leaving work one day in August, Mr Bond – who now weighs 22 stone with a BMI of 43 – collapsed and colleagues called an ambulance.

He said: “I had sharp shooting pains in my chest and at first I thought it was a heart attack.”

He was told he might have just days to live and said: “Staff at the Churchill Hospital said they could not give me surgery unless I lost weight. I had surgery when I weighed 33 stone and they cut most of my stomach out and I was left with a stomach the size of a small banana.

“I felt good that I had it done but I felt very poorly after the operation in November 2014 and I had to be looked after.

“Then after the surgery I lost eight stone within two months and then another 22 stone before May.”

Now Mr Bond, who has been married to Tammy for 12 years, has ditched the fatty foods for a diet of salad, couscous, veggie burgers and orange juice, and said he is enjoying life for the first time in years.

He added: “It feels great because I can walk about, I can ride a bicycle and it has really changed my life.”