Jeremy Edwards reveals he is determined to shape up

‘It affected me massively’: Jeremy Edwards reveals he is determined to shape up at 49 after cruel trolls savaged him for being ‘overweight’ on X Factor spin-off

Former Hollyoaks star Jeremy Edwards says he is determined to lose weight after being mercilessly trolled for his appearance on talent show The X Factor: Celebrity.

Edwards, a teen heartthrob during his time on the Channel 4 soap, made a short-lived appearance On The X Factor spin-off as part of a duo with professional dancer Brendan Cole in 2019.

But the actor, now 49 and a married father of one, admits he was stunned after cruel trolls savaged him for being overweight while featuring as part of the unlikely double act. 

Goal: Former Hollyoaks star Jeremy Edwards says he is determined to lose weight after being mercilessly trolled for his appearance on talent show The X Factor: Celebrity

He told The Sun: ‘It affected me massively. It did upset me because my weight wasn’t something I’d really thought about.

‘When it started, I thought, “Oh come on, I’m a dad, everyone puts on a few pounds”. Then I thought, “Wow people actually expect me to rock up with a six-pack.”‘ 

Edwards, who admits his weight has suffered as a result of an ongoing back problem and slow metabolism, has since lost a stone and a half, but insists he’s keen to lose more.  

Old times: Edwards was a teen heartthrob during his time on the Channel 4 soap (pictured with his cast-mates in 1995)

Unexpected: But the actor, 49, admits he was stunned after cruel trolls savaged him for being overweight as he reached The X Factor: Celebrity’s audition stage

He revealed: ‘I’m going to drop another stone, stone-and-a-half. I’ve signed up to this ridiculous bootcamp programme, which is going to kill me.

‘I know if I drop a stone it will make a big difference and that’s cool, but I’m not really bothered about what people think I look like.’  

The negative response – albeit from a minority of fans – is a marked difference from the swooning adoration he won at the height of his fame as Kurt Benson in Hollyoaks.

The actor, now a father to three-year old daughter Scarlett with wife Lydia Metz, admits he was regularly inundated with offers from lusty female fans during his many personal appearances up and down the country. 

‘Once a girl turned up to the club in a bra and thong — she had a chain wrapped around her body with a padlock and said to me “Here’s the key”, he recalled.  

Fit and healthy: Edwards looks fit and healthy as he goes for a jog in 2004 

The actor portrayed Benson on the Channel 4 soap from 1995 to 1999 when he was seemingly killed off, but then made a shock return last year. 

He has since admitted social media trolling was a part of his latest departure as some fans refused to accept his return from the dead. 

Taking to Twitter in January, he wrote: ‘It is with a heavy heart I am announcing I will NOT be returning to #Hollyoaks.

‘Many reasons but I’d be lying if I said being judged on here hasn’t influenced my decision. Never say never but for now I’m done. Thank you to those who have supported me for me.’  

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