Following the huge success of Loose Women's Body Stories campaign, which saw the show's female panellists pose in their swimwear to promote body confidence, a group of male celebrities have now bravely stripped down to their underwear to again highlight the worthy cause. Shayne Ward, 32, Strictly's Bruno Tonioli, 61, Frank Bruno, 55, Robbie Savage, 42, former footballer David Ginola, 50, This Morning's Dr Ranj, 38, and Judge Rinder, 39, were captured on camera by acclaimed photographer Rankin in a bid to break the silence surrounding the body image pressures faced by men.
It comes as a new Loose Women survey revealed that 73 per cent of men said they don't talk to anyone about how they feel about their body and over a quarter of men can't name a body part that they like most. The study also found that 50 per cent of men worry about their weight, while 43 per cent said their weight affected their self-esteem. A further 57 per cent of men polled said they watch what they eat carefully, and 47 per cent said they won't let their partner touch their stomach.
A group of male celebs have stripped down for the Loose Women Body Stories campaign
(Photo credit: Rankin/ Loose Women)
Boxing legend Frank said he was inspired to take part after being impressed by the original campaign. "It's all about the sort of person you are, not what you look like," he said. "The sad thing with youngsters is they want to look bigger than they are, puffed out and solid and whatever. But you've got to get the right balance, because you can look big and lift up weights but if you can't run up the stairs, you get knackered. Life is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Love yourself as much as you can, if you can't love yourself, who can love you?"
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Judge Rinder, Robbie Savage, Dr Ranj and Shayne Ward were among those who took part
(Photo credit: Rankin/ Loose Women)
Coronation Street star Shayne, meanwhile, opened up about the online abuse he has received about his weight. "If someone's just going to comment on the fact that I'm a little bit bigger than I used to be, I'm 32, when I first joined the pop industry I was 21, so of course my body's going to change after that amount of time," he said. "Being in the public eye can make you more conscious, without a shadow of a doubt, and that's what's great about this campaign.
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"Hopefully this campaign will give men the confidence to talk about body confidence issues, because a lot of it is thrown away as banter; 'Ah you've got a bit of a belly,' 'So have you mate.' And then it's done, but actually, once that conversation stops and someone starts to talk about something else, you're left with that, thinking, actually I do feel like I've put on a bit of weight. This campaign is going to be brilliant for that."
The original Loose Women campaign photo
Loose Women editor Sally Shelford said: "We were overwhelmed by the response to the original Loose Women Body Stories campaign; many of the viewers who got in touch were men talking about their own experiences of struggling to accept their bodies. Together with celebrities like Gok Wan and Freddie Flintoff who have since appeared on the show to bravely talk about their experiences of living with eating disorders and battling self-esteem issues, we knew the next chapter of our campaign needed to reflect the rise in body confidence issues amongst men.
"We're so proud of all the stars who have taken part in this shoot and embraced the message that runs to the core of our campaign: Every Body Tells A Story. We hope it will continue to encourage and inspire everyone to embrace the bodies we have been given."