MasterChef returns tonight, and any long-standing fan of the show will know of 53-year-old Gregg Wallace’s love for puddings.
In the past, he has jokingly referred to himself as “just the fat, bald bloke on MasterChef who likes pudding”.
But over the last few years, it seems the presenter has managed to curb his sweet tooth and now sports a much slimmer figure.
Weighing 16 1/2 stone at his heaviest, Gregg underwent a lifestyle overhaul and managed to lose a massive three stone.
So what did the former London greengrocer do exactly to shed the pounds?
At the end of last year, Gregg revealed the secret to his three stone weight loss.
Speaking to Christina Earle for Sun Online, he said he made a conscious decision to cut down on fried and high sugar foods, as well as booze.
He added: “When I was at my biggest I was having a daily fry up, fish and chips once per week, takeaway a couple more times and drinking beer nearly every day. At first, I felt like I was missing out.
“But my body got used to what I was giving it.”
Gregg retrained his taste buds to prefer healthier meals, and now opts for fish, vegetables and homemade versions of takeaways.
For those wanting to beat the bulge too, Gregg had this to say: “Don’t cut out things you like – it will just make you miserable.”
While a new diet was a big contributor to his weight loss, Gregg also made sure to hit the gym.
He revealed he visits most mornings and can often be seen squat holding 130kg of weights and can bench-press 105kg.
Speaking to Express.co.uk in 2016, Gregg said losing weight isn’t hard, as long as you don’t expect it to happen overnight.
He said: “I don’t agree with diets, but what I do agree with is slow and gradual lifestyle changes – it’s more sustainable.”
How does he manage to stay slim while filming MasterChef?
Gregg said: “As anyone who works on a show like MasterChef will tell you, it’s not the quality of the food, it’s the quantity, because when you’re doing 30 or so tastings in a day, it does add up.
“I think the secret there is don’t go home and have dinner – look at the Masterchef tasting as your dinner.
“That’s the way I avoid gaining weight throughout the series.”
Episode one of the new MasterChef series will be on BBC One at 9pm .
