"She's tried losing weight in the past, but it's never really succeeded. If we don't do something now she probably will be dead," says her nurse.
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| Doreen Thomas orders treats (from Stoke Sentinel) |
On-screen, Doreen comes across as crafty and manipulative. She lives on benefits, has a full-time paid-for carer and snacks incessantly on treats ordered online.
My puritan reaction is of course outrage: why are we paying this person to waste her life in this way? She even refuses an operation to insert a gastric balloon! What could possibly be the purpose of her parasitic life?
On reflection, how would it help if Doreen were transformed into a bland, everyday mediocrity? As a welfare monster she gives millions the pleasure of lip-curling moral superiority. In her own (thankfully) inimitable way she has entertained and instructed more people than many a C-list pop star.
Yes, "Weight Loss Ward" has entirely justified Doreen Thomas's life - short as it's likely to be.
