Paddy McGuinness says he hit 'rock bottom' before weight-loss and new toned body
Paddy McGuinness has posed topless to show off his body at the age of 52 - hoping to show other men his age what is attainable with hard work. The TV and radio host has been recently completed the 75 Hard challenge, a 75-day programme created by podcaster and author Andy Frisella which is designed to test physical and mental resilience.
Participants must follow a strict set of daily rules, including sticking to a diet, avoiding alcohol, drinking four litres of water, taking progress photos, reading 10 pages of non-fiction every day and completing two 45-minute workouts, one of which must be outdoors.
Paddy told Men’s Health: “I think one of the biggest things is the clarity you feel – you’re reading books every night, you’re in a routine, your diet’s good. A few people went, ‘Clearly you’ve AI’d the first picture.’ ‘F**king hell, you’re supposed to AI the after picture, not the before!’ I thought, ‘Jesus, that’s how bad I looked!’”
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Paddy, who finished the challenge in January, spoke about how he decided to overindulge before taking on the challenge and said: "I thought, 'I'm going to have a real blowout, hit rock bottom'.
"I don't recommend it. Just for me personally, I thought, 'I'll see if I can get myself out of it'."
Referring to his cover photoshoot he added: “You look at Men’s Health over the years, and the people who’ve been on the front of it, and you go, ‘My God, they look like they’ve been carved out of stone.’ Just on a personal note, being 52 and a regular bloke, it’s nice to show other blokes it’s attainable.”
Paddy celebrated finishing his challenge with a curry and a milkshake to celebrate but admits it didn’t live up to expectations.
“I ate it, but I didn’t get from it what I thought I was going to get. I just felt like s***. It actually changed something in my brain, habit-wise,” he said.
Paddy split from wife Christine, 37, in 2022 but the pair are still living in the same Cheshire house together for the sake of their three autistic children. On Sunday he told his Radio 2 listeners he helped his kids serve her breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day.
The former Top Gear host also spoke about the importance of raising awareness for mental health and male suicide. Paddy has previously opened up about his struggles with mental health, having been diagnosed with clinical depression.
He said: "Knowing a few people who've done that (suicide), it makes me really think about my emotions more, because I wouldn't want to end up in that space where everyone thinks you're alright and you're not and then it's too late."
* The full interview with Paddy McGuinness can be read in the April issue of Men’s Health UK, on sale from today.
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