David Warburton MP's six stone weight loss secrets revealed

David Warburton said he has used his home gym as a "respite" from the coronavirus pandemic

An MP who was previously classed obese has described how he managed to lose six stone in less than a year.

David Warburton, Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome, said he "got a bit obsessed" using a home gym during the first coronavirus lockdown in March.

He is now a healthy weight after using a second hand treadmill and weights.

Mr Warburton has been praised by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock for his efforts.

The 55-year-old told BBC Politics West he had been "overwhelmed" by requests for help from constituents during the first coronavirus lockdown.

But he said he used a home gym in his spare room and music as a respite that took him "away from the phone and the messages".

"The weight loss was an accidental thing and then I got a bit obsessed with the gym, which drove my wife mad.

"It's certainly been very effective. I have lost all the weight I put on as an MP and I'm very glad to be able to be back in shape", he said.

Mr Warburton said his body mass index - which uses people's height and weight to work out whether their weight is healthy - has dropped from 40, which is obese, to 23, which is healthy.

Prime minister Boris Johnson admitted he had been "too fat" when he fell seriously ill with coronavirus in April but had hired a personal trainer and lost weight.

And Mr Warburton said people must take their weight seriously.

He said: "In this world of Covid it's incredibly important. We hear that people with a BMI over 30 are supposed to have a 37% greater risk of dying from Covid than those who are not obese."