In 2012 when Pauline Potter claimed the world title for Guinness\u2019 heaviest woman, she weighed as much as a fully grown female polar bear.<\/p>\n
After she was named the \u201cworld\u2019s fattest woman,\u201d the 61-year-old star of TLC\u2019s My 600-lb Life made a shocking transformation, leaving fans gobsmacked over her new appearance.<\/p>\n
Pauline Potter became a household name in 2011 when she earned the Guinness World Record for being the world\u2019s heaviest woman, tipping the scales at over 700 pounds (320 kilograms).<\/p>\n
At the time, the title was one that she and her ex-husband Alex held in high regard.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlex encouraged me to eat \u00adwhatever I wanted. He would make huge meals of turkey and roast \u00adpotatoes and pile it on my plate,\u201d Potter said of the man she married on Valentine\u2019s Day in 2003, less than one year after meeting him online. \u201cBecause he loved my size, \u00adI set a goal to reach [700 pounds], to make sure I was even \u00adbigger \u00adfor him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking with the Mirror, Potter explains that Alex was fond of bigger women and enjoyed stuffing her: \u201cHe made spaghetti and French bread for me. He would bring \u00adhome pudding and feed it to me. It was very intimate. It was a very loving thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
But according to Dr. Chris Steele, the former resident doctor for ITV\u2019s This Morning, there is nothing loving about rallying behind obesity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt [700 pounds], Pauline weighed \u00admore than \u00adher age at 47 and \u00adshe is dicing with death. Anyone who is that overweight faces huge \u00adpotential health problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt [700 pounds], Pauline weighed \u00admore than \u00adher age at 47 and \u00adshe is dicing with death. Anyone who is that overweight faces huge \u00adpotential health problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Fattest woman\u2019
\nWhen Potter learned that Guinness named her \u201cthe world\u2019s fattest woman,\u201d she said she \u201cwas shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to that, her seemingly loving husband bailed from the relationship, leaving her in the care of her 17-year-old son Dillon.<\/p>\n
Potter, who could \u201conly feed\u201d and \u201cwipe\u201d herself, depended on Dillon for almost everything, including mobility and cleaning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a walk-in bath and I sit on a stool with a flexible shower head on a lead. There\u2019s a lot of work \u00adinvolved. With lots of rolls of flesh you can get infection in the folds,\u201d she tells the Mirror. \u201cTo prevent this, I wash every day, dry myself thoroughly and then rub corn starch into the folds around my stomach and behind my knees.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds, \u201cMy son has to help me when there are areas I can\u2019t reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also, Potter needed her mobility scooter to get around since she outgrew her vehicle and Dillon frequently had to help her shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cOccasionally I do get nasty comments. I try to rise above it, but I feel upset for \u00adDillon. I know he feels \u00adembarrassed, and I worry what his friends think.\u201d<\/p>\n