A CHUBBY couple have finally shed the "couch potato" in their relationship — and are a slinky 13 stone lighter.

Emmalene Byrne, aged 38, and her husband Peter, aged 40, have finally reached their target weights of 9st 12lbs and 13st respectively.

The pair started eating for two soon after they got married in 2007 by gorging on takeaway food together but joined Slimming World after Mrs Byrne's bright pink onesie made her look like Mrs Blobby.

Twelve months after overhauling their eating habits, Peter has lost 7st 7lbs and Emmalene has lost 5st 7lbs and they have been crowned Mr and Mrs Slinky at their slimming class at D Havilland Club in Gladstone Road, Farnworth.

Emmalene, of Tanfield Drive, Stoneclough, said she was delighted with her new look.

She said: "We were really pleased when we won the award. It makes all the hard work worth it because our efforts have been recognised.

"We have lost 13 stone in weight between us — which is exactly what Peter weighs now. We always say we have lost the third person in our relationship — the couch potato — which means we can get closer to each other."

Emmalene admits that the pair were just as bad as each other when it came to food.

She said: "I have been overweight since I was about 19 and tried a few times to lose weight, but when we got together we didn't help each other out. He'd tempt me with things and I'd have no willpower. I suppose you find comfort in staying at home together and eating takeaways and sharing a bottle of wine.

"Now we make everything from scratch so we know what's going into our bodies. I can't believe how much we've lost, we both feel like different people — and will never be fat again."