His muscles gleam, positively bulging out across his chest, core and arms. There is not one single ounce of body fat to be seen.
In short, this is a body which hasn’t seen a pint or a curry for a very long time.
And here comes the surprise: The body in question belongs to Paddy McGuinness, former boozy lad-in-chief, better known for his beer gut than his biceps.
So what’s behind Paddy’s overhaul, which he displayed this week on the front cover of Men’s Health?
Paddy claimed in the interview which accompanied the striking pictures of his muscular physique that he had done all this just to prove to normal ‘blokes’ that change is possible.
And of course, on the surface, it is impressive that Paddy has managed to physically transform himself.
He gave a blow-by-blow account of how he followed the gruelling ‘75 Hard Challenge’ which saw him work out twice each day for 75 days, as well as completely overhauling his diet.
Perhaps you might think that Paddy – who sounded rather pleased with himself – was preparing himself for his new single life as he negotiates his divorce from his wife Christine, with whom he has three children.
To achieve his new look, Paddy followed the gruelling ‘75 Hard Challenge’ which saw him work out twice each day for 75 days, as well as completely overhauling his diet
As an ex-Strictly contestant, and a favourite of many at the BBC due to his fun personality, Rylan would be an obvious choice
Perhaps – but I can reveal there is another significant factor. The real reason Paddy has bulked up is because he apparently wants to be the next host of Strictly Come Dancing.
Indeed, the well-timed publication of his cover shoot comes just as BBC bosses are deciding who will be the new Strictly Come Dancing hosts.
Names such as ITV’s Bradley Walsh have been bandied about, but Paddy knows all too well he has one major competitor: BBC and ‘Middle England’ favourite Rylan Clark, 37, famed for his gleaming smile.
So who will win in the battle of ‘The teeth vs the torso’? I’m told Paddy is determined it will be him. ‘He is very entitled and he thinks he could be the host of Strictly,’ says my insider.
‘Transforming himself like this won’t harm that. Gone is Paddy who looks like he has had too many pints and curries. Basically, he’s got himself showbiz-ready for the glitterball.’
Rylan, though, is the current favourite male to make up the pair replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hosts, who quit last year after 14 years.
As an ex-Strictly contestant, and a favourite of many at the BBC due to his fun personality, Rylan would be an obvious choice.
And on the whole, BBC bosses aren’t sure Paddy, 52, would be popular with the viewers. His career is, shall we say, hardly on the up. But still, Paddy has some significant champions, if relatively few in number: Most powerful of them, Suzy Lamb, managing director of BBC Studios.
Keep dancing… Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly left Strictly last year after 21 years on the show
She thought he’d be perfect to take over Claudia’s role of interviewing contestants when they have finished dancing, and has previously worked with Paddy when he hosted the low-rent ITV dating show, Take Me Out.
I’m told other women at the top of BBC Studios, the commercial production arm of the Corporation which makes Strictly, also think he would be an asset.
‘These women just love Paddy. They put him forward for all of the big jobs. It was those women who put him up for Question Of Sport which he quite literally killed off,’ I’m told. The legendary BBC show was shelved amid plummeting ratings, with Paddy’s two-year tenure blamed.
‘But they still treat him like some kind of television god. It’s strange as the public don’t really like him at all.’
The prospect of him taking over Strictly has prompted fury among Suzy’s colleagues, with some aghast that she would want Strictly to have any connection to the ITV dating show, known for its toe-curling innuendos.
My Strictly source mused: ‘Ugh, it’s all very desperate. Maybe Paddy thinks he will look better in a suit and smothered in fake tan now he is all toned. But why would the BBC give him another show for him to kill off?’
On his new look, Paddy said: ‘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.’
It’s not just physical, Paddy says – he also claims his brain no longer craves food such as curry, as his fitness programme required strict adherence to five daily rules. The regime demands that you follow a diet with no cheat meals, undergo two 45-minute workouts a day, drink a gallon of water, read ten pages of a non-fiction book, and take regular progress snaps. ‘It took over his life,’ says a source close to him.
Paddy with his ex-wife Christine. While the pair split back in 2022, and their divorce was finalised two years later, they still live together in a mansion in Cheshire
Despite being recently pictured with a full English, Paddy has also improved his diet to achieve his new look
Someone who has had to put up with Paddy’s obsession is ex-wife Christine. While the pair split back in 2022, and their divorce was finalised two years later, they still live together in a mansion in Cheshire. They put their house up for sale last year for £6.5million and it remains unsold – something those familiar with Paddy say is because he ‘hugely inflated the price’.
But he refuses to drop the asking price as he’s happy with the current domestic situation, and the couple have only had a handful of viewings in the past year.
Friends of Christine say she is no fan of her ex-husband – so having to watch him undergo his transformation while she brings up their three children, twins Leo and Penelope, 13, and daughter Felicity, ten, has taken its toll. ‘It’s lucky he has the time [to do so much exercise],’ notes one friend. ‘Christine’s busy with the kids.’
But while Paddy tries to get back on prime-time Saturday night television, childcare commitments have ensured Christine’s once-promising television career has stalled. A source said: ‘Paddy and Christine are still living together in the family home, but he is never there, meaning it is Christine who looks after their three autistic children.
‘Her life revolves around them which limits what she can do work-wise. Paddy comes and goes as he pleases, and because he pays for the house and all the bills, she doesn’t get any maintenance payments. She’s struggling while he’s out there trying to bag big shows.’
Three years ago, Christine, who turned 38 yesterday, had a BBC documentary and promising television career ahead. BBC bosses believed she would be one of their stand-out stars. She appeared on The Real Full Monty in 2021, and ITV’s The Games in 2022. Her well-received documentary, Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism, came out in 2023. The following year she did BBC’s Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales, and Celebrity Masterchef.
Celebrity Hunted, which she won alongside close friend Duncan James, was filmed in 2023 but didn’t air until January 2025. Last year, she left Paddy furious when she signed up to Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating – though she pulled out days after landing in Ibiza for filming.
Today, her sole commitment is a podcast for BBC Scotland on BBC Sounds alongside Sophie Gravia, called Situationships With Sophie And Christine.
The source added: ‘A few years ago Christine was really making her mark. She had her own BBC documentary exploring autism among women and girls, and there was talk of a follow-up because it was so successful but that never happened.
‘Christine just isn’t getting the opportunities she once was, and a lot of it has to do with her schedule and home life.’
As for Paddy, says my insider, he will be ‘absolutely insufferable’ if he were to land the Strictly job.
‘For Christine, if that happened, it would literally be impossible to live with him.’