Meet the super-slim wives who insist there's nothing sexier than a chubby hubby

Cancel that gym membership, chaps, and pour yourself a beer. Women prefer a man with love handles than a six-pack.

Statistics recently revealed three out of four of us find the thought of a chiselled lover a turn-off: we would feel too self-conscious to undress in front of a perfect man.

Here, EIMEAR O'HAGAN meets three petite women who prefer to cuddle up to their chubby partners rather than a honed muscleman, while their husbands share their feelings about their size.

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'Lovely hunk of a man': Hugs from her husband, Clive, make Ann feel protected, adored and feminine '

'There's nothing more unattractive than a man who spends more time obsessing about his figure than you' 

ANN BREWER, 53, an artist, and her husband Clive, 54, an IT consultant (pictured), live in London. She says:

Sometimes when I'm walking down the street with Clive, I will catch sight of our reflection in a shop window. It's only then that I see us as others must: a petite woman alongside this enormous man (he's 6ft 3in and 22 stone) who is out of breath, out of shape and, some people might think, well out of his league.

I am attractive, weigh eight stone and am a size eight. But I couldn't give a fig about the disparity between our physical shapes.

What I see is a lovely hunk of a man whose arm snuggles around me perfectly and whose hug makes me feel protected, adored and feminine.

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I love the fact he is so much bigger than me and if anyone thinks I have sold myself short in marrying a cuddly chap they are wise enough to keep their ugly thoughts to themselves. Clive and I met online a year ago, but didn't meet in person until May.

Until then I'd only seen photos of his face, not his body. When he walked into the bar on our first date, I was surprised, but pleasantly so. I've been married once before and had relationships with men of all shapes and sizes, and believe me there is nothing more unattractive than a peacock who spends more time preening and obsessing about his figure than you.

Clive's not remotely interested in his appearance, which is probably one of the reasons why he's reached the size he is, but that makes him wonderful company.

As he's so relaxed about his body, he helps me feel relaxed about mine, too.

If he was nervous about revealing his belly the first time we made love, he certainly didn't show it. His shirt was whipped off with the exuberance and joie de vivre of a man who is very secure in his own skin. That kind of confidence is sexy and infectious. I certainly wasn't hiding behind the bathroom door either.

After a whirlwind romance we married in September.

It's wonderful knowing Clive wouldn't give a damn if I gained weight, just as long as we could still laugh as much as we do now. I admit there is a limit to what I would find attractive. If Clive were to become morbidly obese and immobile, while I'd still love him I wouldn't be attracted to him, which would be sad.

And I do worry about his health. It's an inescapable fact that he's overweight and before we met he had four heart attacks.

Whirlwind romance: Ann and Clive married in September after meeting online

This worries me a lot because doctors told him they were linked to his weight and lifestyle, which used to involve takeaways and smoking.

I'm hoping that with a healthy diet and lots of long walks with our four dogs, he can become fitter without losing his wonderful stature, which I adore.

Despite my worries about his health, I never stand in his way when he wants to indulge his sweet tooth.

In fact, I'll happily join him on the sofa with a big box of chocolates or a bottle of wine. I want him to enjoy himself and be happy, not nagged into becoming something he's not.

CLIVE SAYS: I haven't always been this heavy. I'm tall and big framed, but I really started to gain weight in the ten years before I met Ann. I was living alone, eating in restaurants or ordering takeaways most nights, and the pounds crept on.

People might think bigger guys struggle to attract women, but I've found the opposite to be true.

Already had four heart attacks: Ann doesn't want her husband to change but she is worried about his health

My size makes me memorable and helps me stand out in a crowd, and a lot of women find that attractive. I've always dated slim, beautiful women.

When I look in the mirror I'm happy with what I see. So what if I've got a belly? I'd rather look like this than have a six-pack and rippling muscles because men like that just strike me as insecure narcissists.

Like Ann, I do worry about my health and for that reason I know I need to lose some weight. Just two or three stone would help.

I know I'm a grey-haired, fat, old bloke. I'm lucky to have bagged a beautiful woman like Ann who is always telling me how handsome I am.

'I adore his belly, man boobs and love handles' 

EMMA HAINES, 37, a full-time mother, lives in Wiltshire with her husband Rik, 35, an event producer, and their two-year-old son Ted. She says:

It's at the beach where we get the most looks. As I look at other bathers I am struck by how similar in stature most couples are: both fit and lithe or both a bit tubby.

It's rare that you get a couple like us where the man is 6ft and 18 stone and his wife is 5ft 4in and eight stone.

I know it bothers Rik because I often have to coax him to take his top off. But I love every inch of him despite the fact he has a belly, love handles and man boobs.

Size doesn't matter: Emma fell in love with Rik when he was a 'chubby' and has always found him attractive

I always reassure him that I fell in love with him this size and have always found him attractive.

Besides, what woman wants to be sat next to some skinny guy on the beach, fretting about his abs, while you worry about whether or not to enjoy an ice cream?

I've only ever known Rik as a chubby man. He's never been slim in the eight years we've been together.

He is a gentle man, kind and sweet. He hasn't got a domineering bone in his body and is unassuming, despite his physical presence.

There have been a few times when he's lost weight, including when we took up running before getting married in 2010 and after our son Ted was born with cerebral palsy in 2012, when we were too stressed and anxious to eat.

But he's always regained what he's lost and put on a few extra pounds along the way.

What has changed, though, is how I feel about his health. We have a disabled child who is going to be dependent on us for a long time, and we need to be fit and healthy to care for him. Already, he struggles with bending down to pick up Ted, who cannot walk or sit up unaided.

Rik may be physically stronger than me, but he's not as agile and I know that's because of his weight.

He works in London four days a week, when he stays with his parents. He's sitting down to large meals every night accompanied by wine.

He has a sweet tooth and enjoys a pint of ale, which is full of sugar.

When I hear news stories about men with large waistlines being at risk from diabetes and heart disease, that scares me.

So my desire for Rik to lose weight is based on my concern for his health, rather than how he looks.

For the most part, I think he's happy with his body, but there are times when he says that he wants to lose some weight, trim down his belly and lose the man boobs.

As the partner of someone who's overweight it's a fine line I have to walk between finding him attractive and wanting him to feel happy and confident.

The couple on their wedding day: Rik thinks he was a bit slimmer then and would like to lose weight but doesn't have the willpower

RIK SAYS: When we met, my body was similar to how it is now, but maybe I was a bit slimmer. But I've always been a big guy and it's how Emma has always known me.

I'd like to change my body — I'd love to be more toned with a flatter stomach. But the obstacle to doing it is time — or rather a lack of it — and my lack of willpower.

Emma is naturally petite, so she can afford to indulge a lot more than I can.

There are times when I'll suggest we buy a low-fat spread, but she'll insist on butter, because she's not having to think about her weight as I have to. She's lucky.

Realising that Ted is going to need a lot of care from us in the years to come was a wake-up call for me that I can't keep gaining weight. Sooner or later I will have to lose a few pounds if I want to be a fit and healthy father.

'His sheer size makes me feel petite and womanly in a way that a slim man just couldn't' 

SHOBHNA FENDLEN, 50, a beauty consultant, lives in Bolton with her husband Curtis, 47, an estate agent, and their three children, Rudy, 25, Kishan, 22, and Asha, 15. She says:

I was looking through some old photos recently and it suddenly struck me just how much Curtis's body has changed since we met 18 years ago.

Back then he was muscular with a six-pack, bulging biceps and not an ounce of fat on his body. He trained at the gym religiously and followed a strict diet after being an amateur body builder in his 20s.

Change: Curtis was toned and athletic when he first met Shobhna but she loves his larger look

When we started dating, my friends were impressed with the hunk I'd netted. Fast forward two decades and he looks very different.

He's 6ft 3in, 20 stone and prefers spending time with his family to working out at the gym. He's got a large belly, wobbly jowls and a double chin. That six-pack is a distant memory.

Meanwhile, thanks to luck and genetics, I'm still the 5ft 2in, seven-stone girl he married.

Despite the transformation his body has undergone, I still think Curtis is absolutely gorgeous.

His sheer size makes me feel petite and womanly in a way that a slim man just couldn't. There's something that makes your heart flutter when this big, beefy man strides across a bar to claim you when he sees you talking to another man.

After 18 years of marriage, Curtis still sees me as a real catch. That's more of a turn-on than a six-pack.

As he was: Curtis used to be a gym fanatic

I have to admit I am partly responsible for his weight gain. I show my love with cooking and pile his plate high. And I never say no when he asks for second helpings.

Other people often comment on how different we are physically — though they don't say anything rude to our faces, thank goodness. And deep down I think Curtis worries about it more than he lets on. The fact he is a big bloke with a slim wife does make him insecure.

Yet, ironically, I scrutinise my body much more than Curtis does his and am more critical about how I look than I am about him.

I know he worries about his health. I want to be a wife not a carer and if he did want to lose weight, I would support him. But it has to come from him. He has to want to do it.

If I nagged him to lose weight he may think I don't find him attractive as he is, when I definitely do.

18 years ago: Shobhna is still 7st like she was the day she married

Still her hero: Shobhna doesn't care about Curtis's size but would support him if he wanted to lose weight

CURTIS SAYS: I used to have the body of an athlete, but since I met Shobhna, I've let things slip.

Nowadays, I have a 40in waist and you're more likely to find me on the sofa working my way through a packet of biscuits than pumping iron. I eat all day. It's a bad habit, but I'm very greedy.

I'm four stone overweight, but I like being big because it gives me a presence and self-confidence.

Because I'm tall, I think I carry my weight well; a shorter man wouldn't get away with it.

YOU'RE SO VAIN

Ninety-six per cent of women say they'd dread going on a date with a man obsessed with his six-pack 

However, I have a family history of diabetes and my doctor has told me I'm heading that way if I don't cut back on sugar.

My 50th birthday is just a few years away and I want to be able to run around with our grandchildren when they come along, not be stuck in an armchair. My New Year's resolution is to lose two stone.

I joke that I have body dysmorphia because I quite like what I see in the mirror. I'm lucky that my wife feels the same way!

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