A MAN weighing 26-stone is still on the lookout for love after TV bosses failed to find his perfect match.

Eddie Sawyer, 55, is mainly housebound and hasn’t walked along Southend High Street for 35 years due to his size, which he claims is stopping him from finding “the one”.

Eddie appeared on Channel 5’s Too Fat for Love in the hope of finding his first partner in 30 years, but sadly the woman he met decided they were better as friends.

However, since the show, Mr Sawyer, from Outing Close, Southend, has received compliments from other women and hopes he will soon find a girlfriend.

Mr Sawyer said: “Women have messaged me after seeing me on the show, some from as far away as Scotland and Plymouth. One of them said I have nice eyes, which was nice.”

“People need to understand large people aren’t freaks. They can have a laugh. I’m a jolly person, I don’t hide anything, you can’t hide who you are.

“My friends don’t know me as a fat guy, but as Eddie. Sometimes people look and laugh, it’s not nice, but I’m too old for that now.”

The former lorry driver’s weight has crept up since he was in his twenties and has now reached 26 stone, leaving him largely immobile.

Mr Sawyer, who hosts weekly quiz nights at the Royal Navy Association, in Southend, has a condition in his legs, which means they have swelled to three times their normal size, which has made walking a struggle. He also no longer works.

He said: “My dad has to do my weekly shopping as I can’t manage it. I just have to wait in the car as I can’t walk round the supermarket.”

The documentary, which aired last week, did pair Eddie with Angela Summers, 45, from Southend.

The relationship didn’t last, but the pair have remained friends.

Miss Summers said: “He’s a lovely bloke, but I couldn’t have a relationship at the moment, it’s a shame.

“He’s now a really good friend and deserves someone really nice.”