A 25-year-old who has spent the last six months stuck in an armchair after he ballooned to 40 stone has been given two weeks to live.

Chris Leppard was dealt the shock death sentence by doctors just hours after it took eight firefighters to get him back on his feet after a fall at his home.

The wannabe chef, from Hastings, who suffers from Prader Willi syndrome which means he never feels full, has since moved to a makeshift bed in his front room and admits he has 'given up on life'.

He said: "I have been given two weeks to live. It's hit me hard as I can't live like this anymore but I don't want to die.

"I'm scared about leaving my mum, my friends and my family but I'm just too fat to help myself now. I can't get up to exercise. It hurts my legs too much to support my weight.

"I fell six months ago and got an infection which hasn't cleared up so my weight spiralled out of control and I have been living in an armchair since."

Chris tipped the scales at 13 stone by the time he turned 13 years old and was diagnosed with the condition which affects one in 15,000 people. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2005 when he reached 23 stone.

Since then his food intake has spiralled out of control, despite his claims he is on a 'strict diet' and he has not had a bath or shower for six months.

He said: "I was told I might have to have my legs amputated a few months ago but I didn't think for one second it would get to the stage where this thing would actually kill me. I feel bad for my family but I just can't help myself now."

Chris, who lives with his mum Anne, had admitted defeat despite the efforts of outsiders to get him to lose weight.

Personal trainers from London-based Active Enterprise had pledged to nurse him back to health by sending experts to his home and help pay for a new flat on ground level to help him get outside.

His mum said: "I am utterly heartbroken. This is my worst nightmare come true."

A spokesman for the Sussex Partnership Trust said: "Chris was sectioned a couple of years ago to determine whether he had the capacity to make decisions for himself about his health, which we decided he did.

"We have been and continue to work with him and his family to try to offer him packages of support and treatment which is best for him. His weight is giving us cause for concern."