Lenny Henry has been open about his weight loss transformation over the years after debuting his slimmed down look on TV.
Just recently, the comedian shocked fans with his svelte frame during an appearance at the Opening Ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Measuring At 6ft 3in, the actor and writer has managed to shed the pounds by changing his lifestyle and switching to healthier habits.
Despite his larger than life personality, the funnyman has struggled with his weight and self-worth over the years and has experienced his fair share of body shaming.
The 64-year-old recalled how a body shaming experience in America shattered his self-esteem. He had flown to Los Angeles with his then wife Dawn French to start filming the movie True Identity (which became a box office flop) and thought he was in top shape to make the movie.
“I had been rigorous with my personal training and nutrition – and managed to get down to 15-and-a-half stone. Which is a good size for me – I can get suits off the peg,” he recalls.
But he was asked to lose further weight and, for months, endured a fiendishly difficult exercise regime accompanied by a strict diet.
“It was horrible. It wasn’t just mentally bruising, it was physically bruising,” he recalls today. “I arrived in the best shape I’ve ever been in and they told me I was overweight and needed to lose weight.
"If anything is going to knock your confidence, it’s something like that. I was already at the best weight I’d been since I left school and suddenly I was told I needed to lose another stone-and-a-half.
“I was able to get through it because I had Dawn with me and she worked hard to make sure I was all right. But inside me, I had this feeling that I wasn’t good enough. I was fighting that all the way through. And actually, the film got slagged off but I got quite good reviews.”
These days, Lenny goes to the gym regularly, does yoga, doesn’t eat rubbish and seems to be in a much better place.
In 2014, Lenny revealed how a strict diet and dedicated exercise regime helped him to regain control of his health following a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
The comedian may have described his condition as “a bit diabetic”, but he certainly didn’t dismiss the health risk and he lost three stone.
His successful routine dates back to 2011, when the actor adopted a low carb diet combined with regular exercise. He shunned bread, potatoes and rice and took in lean protein such as chicken and tuna.
Lenny also had a very personal motivation to not let diabetes beat him. His mother Winifred had been diagnosed with diabetes and had suffered as a result; losing both legs to amputation before her death in 1998.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here
