James Argent opens up about his struggle with his weight
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TV and radio presenter Mark Wright, 35, has said he is “so proud” of his pal James ‘Arg’ Argent, 34, who shed a whopping 13 stone after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery.
Arg had piled on 10 stone during the Covid lockdowns when his binge eating disorder spiralled out of control.
Weighing 27 stone, the TOWIE star decided to turn his life around when doctors warned him he was on “death row”, he said on Instagram.
Nine months since his surgery, Arg says he has “never felt happier or healthier” and that he is now “the best version” of himself.
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Mark gushed: “I am so, so proud of him.
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A post shared by James “Arg” Argent (@real_arg)
“I’m just buzzing that he is in such a kind of healthy state compared to where he once was.
“You know, it was a worrying time, he was so out of shape. But he’s looking and feeling a lot better now.”
Arg has credited Mark with helping to put him through his paces in the gym.
He told the Mirror earlier this month: “[Mark] is a fantastic [personal trainer]. We’ve trained together on the weights and he’s always a phone call away.
“Whether it’s weight problems, girl problems or anything else, Mark is always the person I turn to.”
Mark and Arg have been best friends for years and both found fame when they starred in ITV’s The Only Way is Essex.
The former Strictly star also supported Arg when he was battling drug addiction.
Fearing for his friend’s life, Mark had to dish out some tough love.
He told Loose Women in June 2020: “He got to the rehab centre, he called me from their phone and said, ‘I’m leaving, what have you done? Why have you done this?’
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“I said, ‘Arg this is the only route, you need to do this’ – because he wouldn’t listen to us, he wouldn’t take the help.”
Out of desperation, Mark decided he had to “scare” Arg and told him he wasn’t going to help him anymore.
He continued: “Then on boxing day he texted me and said, ‘I’m ready, I’ve hit rock bottom, I need to go to rehab.’
“So, I got on the phone to a rehab centre I’d researched in Thailand and I booked it for him the next day. He got on the plane and he went.”
After turning his life around, Arg is raising awareness about men suffering with eating disorders.
On last week’s Loose Women, Arg explained that one and a half million Brits are battling an eating disorder and a quarter of those are male.
During the special, Arg had a frank discussion with his mum Patricia where he asked when she noticed he had a problem.
She replied: “Lockdown is when it started to creep up on you. You seemed to be putting on weight every week and I noticed you weren’t moving as much as you could have been, and you just didn’t seem happy in yourself.
“You were just staying in. I kept asking you for a walk or a coffee, but you didn’t want to join me, you kept putting it off and making excuses… It was hard to see you feeling so uncomfortable in yourself.”
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