A 43-year-old Silsden man who lost nearly 12-and-a-half stone in less than a year reached the finals of Slimming World's Man of the Year 2004 competition.

Ken Lee, of Tufton Street, showed that men can be just as successful as women when it comes to losing weight, by shedding 12st 6lb to win a place in Slimming World's 'Man of the Year' semi-finals.

Forty-three semi-finalists attended from all over the UK to compete for the title at Slimming World's headquarters in Somercotes, Derbyshire. Between them they had lost an amazing 273 stones. Ken, who runs his own stationery business in Silsden, was in the final nine 'shrinking men' who were congratulated by BBC's Holby City Nurse Chrissie Williams, alias actress Tina Hobley.

Tina was full of praise for the Silsden man. She said: "Ken has made a fantastic achievement.

"He's a real inspiration to men everywhere who may feel unhappy about their weight."

Ken, who attends a Slimming World group on Wednesdays at Steeton Methodist Church, said: "Losing 12 stone with Slimming World was reward enough. Meeting Tina is certainly the icing on the cake for me.

"Slimming World and my consultant Maxine have helped change my life.

"I feel great now. My health has improved and I really can't believe how much I can eat with Food Optimising, and still lose weight.

"I felt quite unsure about joining a slimming club at first, but as soon as I walked through the door, everyone made me feel so welcome.

"I now look forward to my weekly visits. We have a great laugh, spur each other on and get some great tips along the way."