Newlyweds who weigh 54 stone between them claim £2,000 a month

• published: 05 Jan 2015
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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. 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,' he says, '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 £3,000 wedding 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 The couple are seen trying to lose weight before the big day, joining two weight loss courses in a bid to squeeze into their made to measure wedding outfits but admit they are struggling to cut back on the takeaways. Mr Beer likes kebabs, Chinese food and spaghetti Bolognese. As a special treat on a Sunday the couple get a delivery from 'Roast 2 Go' Mr Beer claims he wants as job - ideally 'sitting down in a kiosk on theTamar Bridge' or as Santa Claus in a department store - but his weight is a significant barrier and he believes anti-fat prejudice is holding him back. He once had his own cleaning company, but said his eating spiralled out of control after he suffered a stroke in 2008 while he weighed 27 stone and he lost his business.