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Jason Manford has revealed the secret behind his three stone weight loss – and it’s not down to Ozempic.
The comedian, 44, has boasted a trimmer physique in recent months, with his observant fans noticing and complimenting him.
And while weight-loss jabs have become the go-to for some stars to slim down, Jason has revealed that is not how he shed the pounds.
The dad-of-six says he has lost around three stone thanks to taking up padel tennis, which quickly became his ‘obsession’.
He said: ‘I’ve been on it with padel tennis. I’ve lost probably about three stone, I think, in around 18 months.
‘I got into it, and then I got a bit obsessed with it, and we’ve got a little fitness group, me and a load of dads.’
The comedian, 44, has boasted a trimmer physique in recent months, with his observant fans noticing and complimenting him
The dad-of-six says he has lost around three stone thanks to taking up padel tennis, which quickly became his ‘obsession’ (pictured in 2024)
Jason told The Sun his doctor had warned him he would need his knees replaced if he didn’t lose weight, adding that they were ‘sore all the time’.
He continued to tell the publication: ‘I mean, look, I’m in a privileged position. I was able to get personal training, I was able to see a nutritionist and, you know, do it properly and go, “right, how do we sort this out?”
‘But fundamentally, irrespective of being able to throw some money at it, actually, that WhatsApp group with me brother and a couple of mates, and just every so often posting a picture of, like, one of them’s just done a run, or one of them, you know, we’re all in the same boat, we’re just trying, you need somebody else to just try and be there for you.’
When fans first noticed Jason’s weight-loss last year they flooded him with gushing messages, as one penned: ‘You look loads younger?!!’… ‘Looking very trim!’… ‘Looking lean’… ‘You look loads younger?!’
‘Are you sure you’re Jason Manford? You don’t look like him, you look brilliant!’
Meanwhile, the funnyman recently addressed cancel culture among comedians as he couldn’t help but take a swipe at Ricky Gervais.
Jason said: ‘That’s the funny thing, isn’t it? It is and it isn’t.
‘Look at the most watched shows on Netflix for example, they are Ricky Gervais, they’re Jimmy Carr, they’re Jim Jefferies.
When fans had spotted Jason’s weight loss last year they flooded him with compliments, while some joked if it was even him
‘They’re comics who are really offensive, and Dave Chappelle.
‘Makes me laugh, Ricky and Dave say, “Oh, I’ve been cancelled”… I think I wish I was cancelled!
‘He just signed a 20 million pound Netflix deal. I’d love to be that cancelled… I’m on a worldwide arena tour being cancelled.’
Last year Jason was forced to cancel a number of his standup shows after being rushed to hospital with appendicitis.
The Waterloo Road star explained that jokes often land way better in person at gigs rather than in short clips, which don’t always capture the context of the set.
Jason said his doctor had warned him he would need his knees replaced if he didn’t lose weight, adding that they were ‘sore all the time’
He continued: ‘Sat around the table with your family reading a joke that was said the night before in front of a room full of people, hits different.
‘You know that, of course, that might be offensive, but in the room on the night, you can see a wink in the eye.
‘You can see the you can hear the tone of voice.
‘You know there’s no malice behind it. Live comedy is still as fun and as raucous and as edgy as it’s ever been.’