Comedian Peter Kay has spoken candidly about his recent weight loss and the mindset shift that helped him prioritise his health at 52. Kay, who appeared noticeably slimmer on BBC's The One Show last week, is promoting additional dates for his Better Late Than Never... Again! tour. In an interview with Sara Cox, he reflected on decades of struggling with his size and why things finally changed.
Kay admitted he had tried 'everything' to lose weight over the years, including weight-loss groups, but often fell short. He recalled a moment in 2000 when, during a screening of The Green Mile at a Bolton cinema, he sneaked out to buy a hot dog. Catching a glimpse of himself, he felt ashamed and threw the remainder in the bin — only to retrieve it for another bite. 'I should be ashamed of yourself,' he remembered thinking.
His fitness attempts were equally chaotic. He once tried his mother's Rosemary Conley fitness video, only to be exhausted after the warm-up. Gym visits at David Lloyd in Bolton ended because of unwanted naked conversations in the changing rooms. A high-energy aerobics class saw him at the back, dying, clutching a two-litre bottle of Tizer. An old-school gym under the Manchester arches had him pulling a tyre outside and sobbing in the toilet.
Despite the failed attempts, Kay is now making changes that work for him, though he hasn't revealed exact methods or weight loss figures. He acknowledges that recovery takes longer at his age but emphasises that progress, no matter how small, is still progress. 'You don't need a perfect plan — just the willingness to keep trying,' he suggested.
