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Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser
Work? us? fat chance!
An obese British family on welfare have sparked outrage after claiming they were “too fat to work”, do not eat fruit or vegetables because they do not like the taste, do not have time to diet — and deserve more in benefits to afford their calorie laden lifestyle.
The unemployed Chawners — called the Teletubbies by their neighbours — have been pilloried across the UK after being featured in Closer magazine stating that they are “too fat to work”.
Father Philip Chawner, 53, and mother Audrey, 57, weigh 152.4kg each. Their eldest daughter, Sam, 21, is 1.75m tall and weighs 108kg, while her sister, Emma, 19, is 1.6m tall and weighs 107.95kg.
The parents have not worked in 11 years, claiming their weight problem is hereditary.
The Chawners receive more than £22000 (R306680) in benefits a year, including income support, incapacity benefits and disability allowances.
The family, from Blackburn, northern England, spend their days in front of a TV borrowed from a friend.
Said Philip Chawner: “We love TV. It's on from the moment we get up. Often I'm so tired from watching TV that I have to have a nap.”
He was on a waiting list for a gastric-band operation last year until he was ruled out because of a heart condition.
The family told Closer they spent about £50 a week on food, including chocolate, chips and pies, and consume 3000 calories each a day. The recommended maximum intake is 2000 for women and 2500 for men.
“We have cereal for breakfast, bacon (sandwiches) for lunch and microwave pies with mashed potato or chips for dinner,” Audrey Chawner said.
“We all love nibbling on biscuits. I once bought some pears, but they tasted funny. All that healthy food, like fruit and veg, is too expensive. We're fat because it's in our genes. Our whole family is overweight.”
Asked why they did not simply diet, Emma said: “We don't have the time. I'm a student and don't have time to exercise.”
Despite receiving £22508 a year in tax-free benefits — equivalent to a £30000 salary — Philip Chawner said: “What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table. It's not our fault we can't work. We deserve more.”
But their plight has left Britons unmoved.
“Unbelievable!” wrote Amanda of Guildford on the Daily Mail' s website.
“Genetic? What a load of tosh. It's not genetic, it's generations of your family all being lazy and eating junk food.”
Stuart of London branded it “an absolute stereotypical model of everything that's wrong with Britain today”.
Source: Sunday Times
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