A TEENAGER lost almost seven stones so he can have surgery on his fractured hip.

Michael Hayden's weight gain stemmed from fracturing his right hip playing football at Holy Trinity Primary School in Darwen in 2013.

The fall saw Michael, known as 'Mikey' pile on the pounds, reaching almost 21 stone at his largest.

But after being told he needed to lose three stone to have a hip replacement operation, Mr Hayden's weight has plummeted to 14 stone, 3½ 1lb.

His incredible weight loss comes after he joined the Darwen Slimming World group in January last year.

Mr Hayden, 16, who lives with mum Sharon and dad Thomas at their home on Highfield Street, Darwen, said: I've not been able to walk properly for the last six years and have limited movement and exercise.

"I have to use crutches and I've only got 25 per cent of my hip in use.

"So after I was told I would need to lose weight to have a hip operation, I joined Slimming World."

And following Mr Hayden's fall, he endured several operations to correct his hip, initially at Royal Blackburn Hospital before he was then referred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

He even went on to develop Blounts disease in his left leg because of the bad hip.

The disease causes one side of your knee to grow faster than the other, causing it to bend and restricting your movement.

This needed surgery and a cage on his left leg for six months which left his mum having to adjust the screws constantly causing Mr Hayden severe pain and to be more or less bound for six months, unable to come down the stairs.

It was during these these years of poor and reduced mobility that Mr Hayden started to comfort eat causing his weight to soar and confidence to plummet.

Eventually in Christmas 2017, no longer able to stand the weight he was, he decided to join Slimming World in January 2018.

And it has seen him swap the Big Macs for foods including chicken, salads, vegetables, jacket potato and curry and lose close to seven stone.

His feat has seen him the Young Slimmer Of the Year award at the group.

Mr Hayden, who goes to Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, said: "It was a very difficult time for me with the operations and not being able to move, and I was putting a lot of weight on, so I knew I had to do something about it.

"I feel fantastic and so much better than I did.

"I'm just looking forward now to being given a date for the hip operation, so I can start moving properly again."

Mr Hayden is now awaiting an appointment in May for assessment for hip surgery.

Julie Brown, who runs the Slimming World group in Darwen, said: "Mikey has done amazing and we're all really proud of him.

"For such a young man, he has been so committed to losing weight and has stuck to it despite all the problems he has faced."

The Slimming World group meet at Highfield Church, in Darwen on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.