For a Norfolk man who fell into depression after the death of his father, the turning-point finally arrived on a winter night when he was taking out the bins. 

"When I got to the top of the driveway, I couldn’t breathe," says Ben Smethurst, an electrician who lives in Mautby, a village six miles from Great Yarmouth.

"I thought, ‘This has to stop, this cannot continue. Otherwise, I’ll end up like my dad, dying at 60, not being around for my kids’."

At the time - it was December, 2021 - Mr Smethurst weighed 21 stone and had a 44-inch waist. 

Great Yarmouth Mercury: Ben Smethurst started eating poorly and drinking too much after his father's death in 2016. Ben Smethurst started eating poorly and drinking too much after his father's death in 2016. (Image: Supplied)

Over 18 months later, and six and a half stone lighter, the 37-year-old is preparing to take on a triathlon at Holkham Hall on July 9. 

It has not been an easy journey. After his father died in 2016, Mr Smethurst "lost a lot of spark and desire", he says.

"I wasn’t looking after myself. I was drinking too much, not eating properly.

"Looking back, I was probably suffering from some sort of depression. This continued for five and a half years."

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Great Yarmouth Mercury: Ben Smethurst is an electrical contractor who lives in Mautby, six miles from Great Yarmouth. Ben Smethurst is an electrical contractor who lives in Mautby, six miles from Great Yarmouth. (Image: Supplied)

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That night on the driveway, feeling breathless by the bins, Mr Smethurst reckoned he had run out of excuses. 

"There was nowhere else to turn, no-one else to blame," he says. "I thought, 'I need to do something here'."

The next day, he tried to run a mile but after 200 metres felt physically sick and nearly vomited.

He didn't throw in the towel and turned instead to the exercise bike in his shed for ten minutes three times a week. 

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Great Yarmouth Mercury: Ben Smethurst lost six and half stone after starting to run and train at the gym. Ben Smethurst lost six and half stone after starting to run and train at the gym. (Image: Supplied)

Then the running started, and after nine months of that he was confident enough to go to the gym.

He goes to Broadlands Gym in Fleggburgh every morning. "It’s a bit like a religion. Some people pray five times a day. I have to train every day.

"It’s given me such confidence," he says.