A couple have lost 15 stone and 3ft from their combined waistlines after the husband lost his driving licence.

Mark Hannigan, who weighed more than 21 stone, suffered from sleep apnoea when he was morbidly obese and would find himself falling asleep behind the wheel at least once a day.

The DVLA revoked his licence after the commercial gas engineer had a coughing fit behind the wheel and crashed into a lamp post.

Mr Hannigan, 41, was told he would not get it back until his BMI dropped from a dangerously high rating of 43 to 30.

His wife Louise was tipping the scales at more than 15 stone and was a size 22 dress despite being only 5ft 5in.

Now, incredible pictures show a remarkable turnaround in their appearance in the space of only seven months.

The pair have lost so much weight that they can both now fit into Ms Hannigan's wedding dress at the same time.

The couple, from Peebles in the Borders, are celebrating their second wedding anniversary by being crowned the Cambridge Weight Plan's slimming couple of the year.

At their worst they spent £300 on food every week - most of it on takeaways and junk food after they had been shopping for healthy foodstuffs which they usually ended up throwing away.

Every day Mr Hanningan would have a bacon sandwich and McDonald's on his way to work and would gorge on chocolate, crisps and energy drinks.

He said: "We always used to buy a healthy food shop every week from the supermarket but most of that would get thrown away.

"We were kidding ourselves with the healthy food shop. We got takeaways all weekend and ate crap the rest of the week. We didn't realise we were killing ourselves.

"The amount of money we've saved from spending on junk food is worth two motorbikes - and I would know because I've checked.

"When we started getting noticeable results, we hadn't seen our family in months and we thought we'd hold it off until we'd reached our goal.

"My mum didn't recognise me when we showed up at her door. We looked like completely different people. She was in shock, she just couldn't believe it."

Mr Hannigan fell from 21st 6lb to 12st 6lb, while his wife fell from 15st 2lb to 9st.

In the process, Mrs Hannigan, 42, dropped from a size 22 to a size eight dress and Mark shed two feet off his waistline.

Now they have had to spend thousands of pounds on a brand new wardrobe.

Mr Hannigan added: "Initially my motivation for dieting was getting back my licence but I quickly realised how much my life was improving, I was starting to completely change my life and become a better husband and stepdad to my sons.

"Apart from the obvious physical differences, the boost in my fitness and confidence and the mental differences have been phenomenal.

"My wife says I'm not grumpy anymore and I've definitely noticed that, too.

"Our family life, and our love life, has improved no end. On top of that, I've got my driving licence back.

"I no longer live half a life but now have a very fulfilling and rewarding life. Reaching the goal wasn't the end for us it's the beginning of a whole new life."

The couple, who both followed the Cambridge Weight Plan, are now experts in weight loss management and are offering one-on-one consultations at a weight loss centre they have set up in their home town.

Mrs Hannigan, a former dinner lady at Peebles High School, who lost ten and a half inches from her waist, said: "All my life I have been an emotional eater. I ate when I was happy or sad. I have been overweight as far back as I can remember and I was a size 18 when I was 18.

"I love to bake and cook. Whenever my family liked a recipe I'd cook it until they were sick of it - homemade cheesecakes, cupcakes, double sized portions of lasagne - I was a feeder."

"We just want to make a difference to people around us. There will be so many people thinking, like we once did, that it is too hard and they won't ever succeed - but we are proof that they can, and with our help they will."

Mr Hannigan had his driving licence revoked in December 2014 and got it back in July 2015 - and the photograph used is still an old one.

He no longer has sleep apnoea or type two diabetes following his lifestyle changes.