Prince Charming had turned back into The Beast. He had become grumpy and irritable, weary and boring. He wanted to spend all his time slumped in front of the telly and the only thing he had the energy to charm was his mobile phone. 
I was wondering if I had accidentally married a Frog. The laughter and romance, roses and wine were dim memories and I was feeling like an Old Married Woman. I was starting to have sympathy with the hags of the world.
Anyway, I could see that Prince Charming was ill. He insisted he was fine but if this was fine, I’d rather go and live with the ogres in the swamp. Then one day he announced that he’d been to see the doctor and the doctor thought he might have ME or a sort of mini bi-polar. This was NOT the fairy tale ending (or middle) I had ordered and I was very troubled. It’s all very well to promise ‘in sickness or in health’ but I had definitely expected to get a whole lot more health before the sickness kicked in.
Trapped in Turmoil.
All of this coincided with my six week holiday; the time when I do not have to go to work and can spend my days at home in my castle, being charmed by my prince and cleaning away the cobwebs of life. Instead, I was trapped in a tower of turmoil, with a grumpy beastie. Something had to change. I knew what it was, but I needed to persuade him…
The Weight Issue.
Have I mentioned that Prince Charming has a weight problem? He had a gastric band fitted about seven years ago and, being an all-or-nothing type of hero, he had it as tight as the nurse would make it. Some days nothing would go through. On a good day, he survived on a home- made avocado smoothie and determination. Oh, and gallons of fizzy pop. His mood was directly related to the amount of pop consumed in the previous two hours.
None of this made me feel any better. I was sure he needed food; he was sure food would make him fat. I wanted him to loosen the band and be human; he preferred to stay grumpy and hungry. It was a stalemate. At last, we went together to see the doctor and the doctor spoke sense. Grumpy recognised the words of wisdom and agreed to loosen the band.
The Love of Food.
That weekend was wonderful! After seven years, Prince Charming could again enjoy crusty bread, bacon, a 
crumpet, steak, and chips. Just watching him was a delight! His smile very quickly returned and he ate like a well-behaved lion, rejoicing in every mouthful of protein he was given.
That was a month ago. He did put on some weight and is now more cuddly than a perfect Disney prince should be. But he is strong and healthy, energetic and hopeful. He is once again charming to live with. And he is taking sensible steps to contain his weight. The Beast is back under control.