Neil 'Razor' Ruddock has lost seven stone after being inspired by James Argent's weight loss.
The former footballer, 54, admitted his weight ballooned to 27 stone during lockdown, revealing he was "getting bigger and bigger".
TOWIE star Arg dropped 13 stone after having a gastric band fitted in 2021 and his weight loss inspired Neil to go down the same surgery route.
After meeting the telly star, 35, at a celebrity football match, the father-of-four decided to have two thirds of his stomach removed, meaning he can't overindulge on food because he gets fuller quicker.
Speaking about why he underwent the major surgery, Neil said: 'I struggled during Covid, that was a big factor, just sitting on my backside at home getting bigger and bigger. I got lazier.
"It was just fate that I met Arg when I did at a charity football match. I knew I had to have it done after seeing how great he looked."
Admitting he "cheated death", Neil said he can still eat what he wants, but "only about four mouthfuls", reports MailOnline.
He also said the band has "taken some hormones away" explaining that he can now drive through McDonald's with his kids and not order anything for himself, whereas before he would eat even if he "wasn't hungry".
Arg recently reassured fans he was "healing" well after having "life changing" surgery to remove excess skin, following his epic 13 stone weight loss.
The star underwent a tummy tuck in January and said he has never felt more confident.
Taking to Instagram, the 35-year-old shared a post-surgery selfie, saying the past year had been "incredible".
Alongside the picture, in which he looks happy and healthy, he said: "The last year has been incredible and life-changing.
"Since having gastric sleeve surgery with @wearetransform I have lost over 13st, Dropping from 27st to 14st.
"The weight loss surgery alongside significant lifestyle changes has meant that I'm in the best form of my life – both physically and mentally."
However, Arg then admitted there were areas of his body he was self-conscious about, explaining: "That is why I made the decision to have a tummy tuck with @wearetransform to remove excess skin resulting from my weight loss that I couldn’t lose through diet and exercise alone."
The TOWIE star added the tummy tuck procedure had left him feeling better than ever and that he couldn't wait to see the full results.
