Neil Razor Ruddock credits James Argent for his seven stone weight loss
The 54-year-old retired footballer and reality TV star has had a gastric sleeve fitted after reaching 27 stone.
Watch: Neil Razor Ruddock opens up on his weight loss
Neil “Razor” Ruddock has credited James ‘Arg’ Argent for inspiring his seven stone weight loss.
The 54-year-old retired footballer and reality TV star has had a gastric sleeve fitted after reaching 27 stone and suffering heart problems.
Ruddock told Good Morning Britain: "I found out I had a bad heart, now I've got a pacemaker, so I was looking to get myself fit, or fitter and lose weight.
Read more: Neil Ruddock 'died for a minute' during emergency heart operation
"Then COVID hit and I became a lazy sloth sat on my armchair eating and drinking.... I always had the excuse to eat and drink, it snowballed from there and I couldn't get myself out of it.
"Then I bumped into Arg, a beautiful man, at a charity football game and he told me his story and that was it."
TOWIE star Argent, 35, has dropped from 27 stone to 13 stone in just one year after having surgery to fit a gastric sleeve.
Ruddock revealed he hopes to lose as much weight as The Only Way Is Essex star.
He said: "I'm not at my finish line yet, I'm still losing weight, hopefully I'll catch Arg up. He's like a racing snake, he looks unbelievable."
The former I'm A Celebrity contestant confessed he had fallen into a pattern of emotional eating during the pandemic.
He said: "I always name it Bad, sad, glad mad syndrome. If I was sad I'd eat and drink. If was glad I'd eat and drink. If I was bad I'd eat and drink. Every sort of situation I'd find myself in I'd eat and drink."
Ruddock previously revealed he was diagnosed with a heart condition after undergoing a medical check for ITV sports show Harry's Heroes with Harry Redknapp.
Medical examiners found his resting heart rate to be 130 beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate for an adult is between 60-100 bpm.
He said in 2020: “They basically had to stop my heart and give me the shock you see on telly… it kicked back in after the third time. They said I was dead for a minute."
Read more: James Argent planning to 'address' excess skin after losing 14 stone
Ruddock retired from football in 2003 and came briefly out of retirement at the age of 46 in 2015 to play for United Counties League side Wellingborough Whitworth. He became a coach for Enfield in 2018.
Watch: James Argent discusses having his excess skin removed
