Heavyweight Jack Taylor today told for the first time how he had locked himself away for more than 25 years because he is so shy about his 50-stone frame.

The gentle giant - who stands a towering 6ft 3ins tall - hasn't been beyond the confines of his garden gate for a quarter of a century because of the attention he attracts.

Mr Taylor, 55, said the last time he ventured out and about in the mid-1970s he feared cars would crash as drivers stared at him.

He manages to keep in touch with what's going on in the world - thanks to his Telegraph & Argus.

The former security guard - once invited to become a wrestler - was well-known in the Manningham area when he dared to venture out of the home he shared with his mum and dad.

But the reaction to his weight left him shy and reclusive - and without any desire to go back out onto the streets.

Yet Mr Taylor said today he was not an unhappy recluse, but a jolly giant.

"I do sometimes miss going out but I am happy and I have my family nearby and they look after me," he said.

Towering Mr Taylor is known by friends and family as the Gentle Giant.

"Everyone who knows me knows I wouldn't hurt a fly.

"I used to enjoy going out on a Saturday night round the local pubs but I was never a heavy drinker.

"My family are always trying to get me to go out but I'm happy at home. I don't know, I might go out again one day.

"I'm Bradford born and bred and I do miss walking into the city. People tell me how it has changed and I'm always being urged by my niece to go to the local for a drink. But I haven't been out for so long it has become a habit."

When Mr Taylor used to hit the town in his younger days he always caused a bit of a stir.

"I was a sort of celebrity and people would stop and stare, cars would almost crash into each other as drivers stared to get a look at me," said Mr Taylor.

Despite his size Mr Taylor enjoys hearty meals - particularly a good curry and has been known to guzzle through 15 tandoori naans in one sitting.

"My mum used to make my favourite - steak, onion and liver - and the whole street could smell it because there would be so much of it," said Mr Taylor.

"That was my absolute favourite."

And he was a big hit with the ladies.

"I was never that type to take advantage of women but you could say I was attractive. My mum used to find telephone numbers in my pockets that girls had slipped in. But I have always been a one-woman man."

At the moment he is seeing Joan - and has high hopes to one day take her out.

"We've been going out nearly seven years and she complains I haven't taken her any where. I think I should."