He gained a whopping 27 stone during lockdown when his eating spiraled out of control.
But now TOWIE star James Argent has told how he is keen to regain the weight after losing almost 14 stone when he changed his lifestyle and underwent a sleeve gastrectomy procedure.
The reality star, 36, who shot to fame when he took part in the Essex reality show in 2010, revealed he is now in the process of gaining weight, currently sitting at 13.5 stone.
He spoke exclusively to The Mail’s comedy podcast: Straight to the comments! which embraces the hilarity and uniqueness of the MailOnline comments section featuring the celebrities in question.
‘At my biggest I was 27 stone. I took the p***. Now I’m about 13.5 stone,” he said.
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James Argent had opened up about how he is keen to regain the weight after losing almost 14 stone when he changed his lifestyle and underwent a gastrectomy procedure (left, in January this year and right, before his surgery in 2021)
‘I think I was just reacting to feelings and emotions, eating and eating and then locking up, Covid, that didn’t help.’
He admitted that his doctor told him he was “on death row” when he was at his heaviest, during which time he “couldn’t tie my own shoes” and “found it hard to breathe.”
Argent, known as ‘Arg’, said he couldn’t even see his own penis and joked: ‘I can almost see it now.’
Despite his positive lifestyle change, Argent said there were times when he actually became “too thin” and is currently trying to “up his protein” and “gain a little more weight.”
He said supportive comments from fans pushed him to lose weight, but people should be “careful” about what they say.
“You know, when you get comments like, ‘You look good, keep it up,’ it encourages you, it makes you feel better,” he said.
‘I think you have to be very careful, when it comes to someone who looks healthy, I think. I always told myself, ‘the more weight you lose, the better’, so the leaner you are, the better, but that’s not true. “Not really, because there are times when you’re too thin.”
He added, “And even now I’m trying to up my protein a little bit and gain a little more weight.”
Argent, who has seen his private and professional life played out on the ITV2 reality show for almost a decade, has previously said that having the gastric sleeve fitted in 2021 was ‘incredible and life-changing’.
Despite his positive lifestyle change, Argent said there were times when he actually became “too thin” and is currently trying to “up” his protein levels and “gain a little bit more weight.”
The TV star recently made an unlikely friend in the form of former Health Secretary Matt Hancock when they appeared together on Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS.
He admitted that they still keep in touch, with the former politician contacting him every now and then via WhatsApp.
“He was very supportive and kind and gentle, so as much as people would love me if I rejected him and hated him, I can’t do that,” he told the podcast.
‘Sometimes I get a strange WhatsApp – yes, I have it on WhatsApp.’
He said the last message he received from Hancock thanked him for being “such a legend” and wished him a “Happy New Year” full of “joy, happiness and prosperity.”
Argent appeared as the celebrity guest of the week with Archie Manners and Josh Pieters as they helped unravel some of the craziest, front page-worthy statements left among the MailOnline stories in the new podcast.
Online stunt makers and YouTube sensations Josh and Archie are best known for turning the tables on protest giant Just Stop Oil by infiltrating the group and bringing a demonstration to a halt.
Listeners can join Josh and Archie every week to welcome a celebrity guest to help them break down some of the craziest, front page-worthy quotes left among the MailOnline stories.
After all, who better to unravel the media and guess the story than the celebrities themselves?
The TV star recently made an unlikely friend in the form of former Health Secretary Matt Hancock when they appeared on Celebrity SAS (pictured with TOWIE’s Amber Turner)
Each episode takes Josh and Archie on a journey with their famous companion to discover which bizarre story about them in the press correlates with the even more bizarre comments below the articles.
From poking fun at their paths to success to spotting which celebrity wore last night’s clothes, straight to the comments! is your new buzz-worthy listen of the week.
Listeners can expect behind-the-scenes information on some of the biggest celebrity headlines, gossip-based stories and tidbits, and hilarious guest appearances.
Follow straight to the comments! so it arrives on your device first on Monday! On Apple here and on Spotify here
Straight To The Comments appears every Monday and sees hosts Josh Pieters and Archie Manners embrace the hilarity and uniqueness of the MailOnline comments section
