Scrap-metal eater, 80, retires after choking while eating bike pedal

A metal-munching stuntman who has eaten his way through tons of scrap is retiring after he nearly died when he bit off more than even he can chew. Branko Crnogorac, 80, has left audiences open-mouthed as he downed 25,000 light bulbs, 12,000 forks, 2,000 spoons, 2,600 plates and nearly 6,000 old vinyl records in his 60-year career.

The resident of Apatin, Serbia, quit after choking on a pedal when his friends bet him he could not eat his whole bike within three days. "I almost died. I needed emergency surgery. At the same time, doctors found two kilogrammes of assorted ironware in my stomach, including two gold rings," he explained.



Crnogorac added: "It was a wake-up call for me. Since then, I just haven't had the same desire to munch metal. After 20 years of eating everything, I've realised my digestive system is not as strong as it used to be, so I've decided to retire."

His bizarre career started when a friend recommended he should start eating sand to combat an acid stomach. "It worked and I thought why not try something else and one thing led to another," he said.