IT was supposed to be a romantic moment but hearing the bed snap beneath them left Karen and Craig Binns flushed with embarrassment.
Due to their combined weight of nearly 47st, Karen and her husband had no energy for nooky, but had decided to give it a go anyway.
Making love had become somewhat of an annual event for the pair but Karen was determined to make it happen.
Sadly the slats of their bed frame had other ideas.
“It was soul-destroying”, says Karen of Hemsworth, – especially because this was the SECOND bed they had broken making love.
Karen's son had already begged her to lose weight as he feared she would die and this was now another reason for her to do so.
“I was embarrassed of my size and I didn't feel sexy,” the mum-of-three now says.
So, to increase their life expectancy and save their sex life, the pair lost close to 19 stone together – and they now have ‘amazing' sex daily.
The couple weighed more than 23st each when they met through a mutual friend in 2013.
Mum-of-three Karen, 46, says the pair fell in love at first sight and gorged on takeaways every lunch and dinner time for the next nine years.
She admits she and 52-year-old Craig used to only have sex once a year because she ‘didn't feel sexy' and they lacked energy due to their size.
They even broke two beds during their annual romps that 5ft 4in Karen says felt ‘soul-destroying'.
In 2022 Karen's son begged her to lose weight as he feared she'd die, so the couple joined Slimming World to change their lives.
They swapped calorific takeaways for protein and vegetable-packed meals and in just one year Karen lost a whopping 11st, dropping from a size 32 to a slinky size 8.
Craig, who is 5ft 11in tall, shed 7.5st and went from a size 5XL to a size large.
Karen says losing almost 19st collectively has ‘saved their lives' and rejuvenated their dying sex life.
Amazing sex… every day
She claims they now have ‘amazing' sex at least once a day and even have the confidence to leave the lights on.
The proud duo are sharing their story to encourage others to shed pounds and improve their own relationships.
Karen, from Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, said: “When we were really big we hardly ever had sex because we were too tired and didn't have the energy to do it.
“I was embarrassed of my size and didn't feel sexy.
“We broke two beds and that's embarrassing. It's funny now but at the time it was soul-destroying.
“Food was like an addiction. I didn't have a very high opinion of myself and had low self-esteem so I was either sleeping or eating.
“I turned to food for habit, comfort and boredom but I have always been unhappy being overweight.
“My youngest son came to me crying in a state asking me to lose weight as he was scared I was going to have a heart attack and die.
“Craig and I decided to give it a go so we went to and we didn't look back.
McDonald's staff knew her order
“We lost weight every week for 12 months and I went from a size 32 to a size 8. I've now put a little bit of weight back on and am a size 12.
“Our sex life is amazing now that we've lost weight.
“We have sex once a day and we would do it more if we had more time. Before losing weight it was like once a year.
“Losing weight has given us a sex life, I'm the most confident I've ever felt.”
Karen says that before losing weight she could easily scoff a 12-pack of crisps in a matter of minutes and workers would even remember her order.
Now she eats a of fruit, veg and high-protein meals to maintain her svelte size-12 figure.
Karen said: “Before losing weight, I would get up and go to the shop and buy chocolate and crisps.
“I would buy a 12-pack of crisps and polish them off.
“I would buy large bars of chocolate, cakes and buns or anything that would give me a little sugar rush. I was having two takeaways a day.
“The guy at McDonald's knew my order as soon as he saw my car.
“It wasn't a good lifestyle and because you are bigger you have no energy.
“At the minute, I'm happy with where I am and when I look in the mirror, I feel confident and have a zest for life. Slimming World has changed my life.”
Craig says he piled on almost 13 stone in nine months following an accident that damaged his spine.
The dad-of-three said he turned to eating to ‘grieve' the loss of his sporty lifestyle and decided to lose weight with Karen to get his life back on track.
Now have sex with the lights on
Craig, also from Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, said: “I was very sporty when I had an accident so I went from 12 stone 7lbs to 25st in nine months because I damaged my spine.
“I was then eating loads because I felt like I'd lost my life and I was grieving.
“They told me if I didn't lose weight I'd need two new knees, I needed to make a change.
“We now have sex with the light on. We're world's apart from where we were.
“I feel like I'm 30 years younger and not 52. I have a lot more energy and I feel better in myself too.”
Karen and Craig are both now Slimming World consultants and work to help support people trying to lose weight.
Karen said: “We can empathise with other people and help them to lose weight and get their life back, it's so rewarding.
