James Martin is looking great on his new culinary show, James Martin's American Adventure having recently opened up about deciding to lose weight after feeling self-conscious about the way he looked. The chef, who once weighed 19-stone while working as a pastry chef, has always been vocal about his weight loss journey, from shedding the lbs while starring in Strictly Come Dancing back in 2005 to making a lifestyle change in 2018. Click through our gallery to see James Martin's weight loss journey through the years…
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James has previously revealed that he put on weight after working as a pastry chef as a young man, and weighed 19st 7lbs at one point. However, everything changed when he went on Strictly Come Dancing. Chatting to the Guardian, James revealed that he lost nearly four stone in four weeks in the duration of the show, despite having a cheeky KFC once a week after a week of salads! He said: "I lost three-and-a-half stone in four weeks. You get put on a strict diet but I had the same driver so when we finished for the week, I'd get in the car and he'd say; 'The usual?' and we would pop round the corner to KFC in Chiswick and have the biggest bargain bucket because all I had been eating was lettuce and hummus."
James later told Prima that he had lost an incredible five stone overall during hisStrictly Come Dancing journey, explaining: "I lost five stone in seven weeks. I mean, I needed to! A lot has changed since I was on it. It's an amazing show to be involved in. And that's why people love it, and love being in it. It's a great format. It's a massive snowball and you don't realise that until you're in it. You're going, 'What the hell is going on?'"
Chatting to the Daily Mail about his transformation in 2017, he said: "My blood pressure has been checked and it's normal, while my cholesterol is low at 3.9, so I must be doing something right. I'm determined to stay healthy and fit. It's hard work because I'm a big bloke so I've really got to watch what I eat and drink, and make sure I exercise regularly."
The 45-year-old took some time back for himself in 2017 after traumatically witnessing a man pass away at an event. Speaking on Loose Women, he explained: "I was doing a gig abroad and I was chatting to a gentleman the same age as me with a similar work ethic, really keen on work. He went on stage literally five minutes after I spoke to him to do an awards ceremony and he died before he hit the floor. Just all of us were in total shock, and I got back on the plane and thought, 'Now I'm going to re-address the balance.'"
Losing weight has clearly changed James' life, and he opened up to The Herald about how he feels better overall after shedding some pounds. "I feel more focused, alert and confident," he explained. "My skin's much better. People say they think I've actually got taller, which is ridiculous of course, but I suppose it reflects the fact that I do feel more comfortable in myself."
The TV presenter regularly shares snaps of healthy food, and of himself exercising on Instagram. In a recent post, he revealed that he was growing fresh herbs and leaves in his garden, and shared a second snap of wild strawberries. He also recently shared a photo of himself learning to surf as part of his American Adventure series, and wrote: "Surf's up!"
James looked fantastic at the Chelsea Flower Show back in May, and revealed that he decided to shed some lbs after seeing himself on HD TV and feeling self-conscious. He told the Daily Mail: "I've lost a stone-ish. I just think it's a lifestyle thing and also looking at yourself on TV. You kind of watch and go, 'Oh God there's a bit of chin happening there'. And everybody's TVs are bigger now. Before you used to watch TV on a small one and now they're massive… I don't really watch the programmes that I do because you get critical of yourself."