A Boy George impersonator who spent £20k on cosmetic surgery has defended a new Channel 4 show after it received criticism from viewers.
Naked Education, a spin-off of hit dating show Naked Attraction, aims to normalise all body types by championing people’s differences and breaking down stereotypes. Fronted by Anna Richardson, Yinka Bokinni and former Love Island star Dr Alex George, the body-positive education show will tackle different conversations about the body each week.
Singer Liam Halewood, 36, features on one of the show’s episodes as he discusses his past obsession with getting regular Botox, lip fillers and hair transplants in order to land himself a spot on reality TV.
Liam, who is from Blackpool but has regularly performed in Manchester’s Gay Village, previously told the M.E.N he spent £20,000 on cosmetic surgery to ‘not look like Alan Carr’ after appearing on the likes of Bodyfixers, The Extreme Diet Hotel and the X Factor.
Earlier this month, he spoke about how he was ‘addicted' to having treatments for about 18 months. "Seeing everyone’s perfect results on social media made me want to get more and more,” he said. “Then I realised influencer pics were filtered which made me think 'oh wait.'"
Following Naked Education’s premiere last Tuesday (April 4), viewers took to social media to criticise aspects of the show. Lancs Live reports that GMB host Kate Garraway said it made her 'uncomfortable' while other viewers shamed Channel 4 for even showing the program.
During the show’s fifth episode, which is available to watch on All4, Liam took the plunge and stripped down to his boxers in order to show audiences that there is no such thing as perfect when it comes to the human body and to promote body confidence.
He said he believes the message of Naked Education is ‘so important’ to the youth of today and he believes that some criticism has missed the educational point of the show.
"I'm going to stick up for that and say it's nothing that's not accessible online,” Liam told Lancs Live. “It's nothing that's not accessible for the youth of today in sex education in schools. They get to the genital area, in sex education, so I really just want to put it out there that you know, the programme was meant for educational purposes.
"Ten percent of people are just not agreeing with it, and that's fine. They're entitled to their opinion. But you know, don't go around saying perverse because they clearly isn't.
"The youth of today will never ever know what a normal body is if you just concentrate on looking on social media permanently. So bring it to the forefront, and having all different shapes sizes, race, religion, culture and sexuality stripping down to the bare minimum, I think it's very important for for the youth of today to see that and not just concentrate on what's perfect on social media."
Unlike contestants on Naked Attraction, not all people who take part in Naked Education will appear naked on screen. Liam says that even those that did end up appearing bare on the show did so for educational purposes.
He goes on to say: "I was never gonna get my genitals out on TV because for the issues we were talking about, it wasn't needed. But it doesn't mean that don't champion the people that actually did because I do.
"The youth of today get taught this kind of thing in school and get shown images of of an adult's naked body and a video of an adult's naked body in school. So, there was no difference what we don't want to get taught in sex education in school when it comes to the imagery of the naked body."
He says doing the show made him feel liberated, adding that he felt really proud of the show he was a part of.
"I felt quite liberated,” he said. “I sat there, I took it in my stride. We were having a great time before we actually went to film. The main aim of the show is to make you feel proud of who you are and yourself, regardless of what you look like. I feel proud to have been a part of it."
Since appearing on the show, Liam has launched an online petition to ban paid influencers from using filters on social media unless specifically stated. He says he hopes the move would raise awareness amongst young people that beauty filters often set impossible standards.
“I think I, along with the rest of the world, should champion realism,” Liam said. “Let the youth of today know the real world and celebrate who we are, what we have been given and stop hiding behind filters.
“If it is filtered then a law should be in place to watermark filtered images. Let’s take care of each other and the younger generation.”
All episodes of Naked Education are available to watch on All4 now. The show continues on Channel 4 every Tuesday at 8pm, with Liam's episode airing on May 2.
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