A 51-year-old slimmer from St Blazey has hit the back of the net after reaching the semi-finals of a competition to find the UK and Ireland’s top male slimmers, where he met footballing legend Dion Dublin.

John Northcott was one of just 32 men to win a place at the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Man of the Year 2016 competition after losing an impressive 7st. It was there that he was congratulated by former Coventry, Aston Villa and Leicester City star Dion.