A SOUTHAMPTON man has been praised by a celebrity model for his inspiring weight loss mission.

Keith Hutchings reached the semi-finals for Slimming World’s Man of the Year 2015 for his hard work shedding the pounds.

Now the 56-year-old has been applauded by a famous soap star and model for losing 7st 11lbs in a year.

Keith was at an event for all the successful slimmers when he met Emmerdale star Gemma Atkinson – who said she hopes his determination to lode weight will inspire other men in Southampton to do the same.

Keith went from 21st 11.5lbs in February last year to 14st 0.5lbs and now says Slimming World is nothing for men to be scared of.

He said: “When men want to lose weight they usually think about exercising more or following a diet on their own, not joining a group, so it was a big step for me but one I’m definitely glad I took.”

“I couldn’t believe how easy I found it to start making changes and how quickly I noticed a difference in myself from the first week. Before I joined Slimming World I didn’t think that eating healthily would ever leave me feeling satisfied and I expected to be hungry all the time while I was losing weight, but I found I could still enjoy all my favourite meals, from a curry with rice to steak, chips and salad, by making them differently.

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He added: “When I went to the group for the first time, I was worried that I’d be the only man there and stand out like a sore thumb. It didn’t feel like that at all though, everyone was really welcoming and all of the members made an effort to help me feel like part of the group. Ultimately it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman, younger or older, because everyone in that group is there for the same reason – to lose weight, improve their health and feel better about themselves.

“I was proud of myself when I found out I’d made the finals of Slimming World’s Man of the Year competition. I didn’t lose weight to win a competition, but it was a nice bonus – and meeting Gemma was the icing on the cake.”

Gemma said: “It was a pleasure to meet Keith and hear all about his weight loss. He obviously looks great but I know from talking to him that it’s about much more than that, he’s improved his health and is feeling happier and more confident too. I’m sure his story will inspire so many other men in Southampton to follow in his footsteps and make some healthy changes. I’ll be telling all the blokes on the Emmerdale set all about him, that’s for sure.”