Love Island’s Anton Danyluk may be a ripped reality star but he openly admits he has battled body insecurity all his life.
The 28-year-old, who was overweight as a child and endured body-shaming and bullying at school, reacted by hitting the gym to build muscle and confidence. But despite his now toned body he is still anxious about his appearance - an insecurity he shares with more men than ever before.
In a new BBC documentary - Anton Danyluk on Body Shame - the online fitness coach delves into the growing problem of body image insecurity among young men. While making the programme Anton, who is from Blackridge, West Lothian, acknowledged he may be part of the issue by peppering his socials with muscly selfies and gym shots and has vowed to change.
The personal trainer, who was on the fifth season of the hit ITV dating show in 2019, said: “Body image has always been viewed as an issue for women and young girls but it also effects young men and is having a detrimental effect on their mental health.
“I am a case in point. I have battled insecurities about my body all my life. I was a chubby kid and got bullied at school which prompted me to hit the gym in search of the perfect body. Since Love Island and being in the public eye my insecurities have got even worse which some people might find surprising.
“That’s why I jumped at the chance to do the documentary because my sole reason for going on Love Island was to create a platform where I could help as many people as possible.”
New research has revealed more than a quarter of teenage boys in Scotland stress about their body image and social media is making the problem worse. In the programme, which goes out on BBC Scotland on Thursday night at 10.30pm, Anton meets up with young men who struggle with their body image to understand how they’re affected by what they see online.
He said: “I talked to pupils at Dalziel High School in Motherwell and was blown away by their honesty about their body insecurities and how social media has a huge part to play. When I was growing up Instagram wasn’t a thing and once you got home from school you were away from all the pressures but now thanks to socials there is no escape.
"The pressure is there 24/7 for boys to have the unrealistic perfect body. It’s frightening and I totally get it as I feel the same. It suddenly hit me that instead of helping the situation I have been fuelling the issues. I never dreamed that my posts were damaging but now I see they were and since the documentary I have been much more careful about what I am posting.”
Anton, who up until six months ago was entering bodybuilding competitions, added: “My approach now is to be more open and honest and since the show I have been posting more pictures of how I look in everyday life rather than one of me ripped to the bone and shredded.
“Bodybuilding was something I always wanted to do but doing it did not make me happy. I got into fitness to make myself less self conscious rather than more and I feel much better now I have stopped.
“The last six months is the best I have ever felt as I have found a good life/fitness balance. My regime is a lot less strict and I’m not beating myself up about having a drink or eating pizza.”
Anton, who is spending the summer in Marbella, Spain, also filmed with Aiden Diamond, who lost an incredible eight stone and is now a personal trainer.
Anton, who has launched the kids Can Do Crew fitness app with his mum Sherie Ann, said: “Aiden has worked so hard to lose weight and he looks incredible. He asked me to take my top off in the documentary and I started to get anxious as I was the most out of shape I have been on TV.
“Despite having loose skin Aiden was so confident and I realised that was the mindset I needed to have. He really inspired me and since meeting him I have been looking at everything in a different way.”
He added: “No matter how good someone looks they still have insecurities. What people post on social media is not real life and I hope other influencers will follow my lead and post less posed pictures.
“There is a male body image crisis and I want to use my platform and do what I can to stop young men feeling insecure about themselves. I understand as I have been there.”
- Anton Danyluk on Body Shame is on BBC Scotland on Thursday, May 18 at 10.30pm
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
