Mark Wright addresses weight gain from TV role after reflecting on old photos

Mark Wright has spoken on the weight he gained after first joining The Only Way Is Essex back in 2010.

The presenter, 36, was thrust into the spotlight as a young single man in his 20s which involved him doing a lot of socialising that he said led to “weight gain”.

The star now is known for his strict diet and fitness regime, however, that was not always the case when he began filming reality television.

Speaking on falling off the fitness wagon, Mark said: “I’ve done a couple of weeks and three weeks off, but I don’t really go too much longer than that.

“Because when I was in my 20s I did do that it was when I first got on telly and I was out drinking a lot and eating bad foods a lot.

“And if I look back at the pictures of putting a lot of weight. In my face. I didn’t feel healthy. I was being sluggish feeling sluggish.

“So that’s when I started really kickstarting my fitness journey.”

Now Mark relies on eating almonds in between meals to ensure he stays fuller for longer.

This helps him avoid picking unhealthy snacks or making calorie-dense meals.

He shared: “I started to get fitter when I was a little bit younger and found out the benefits of eating almonds and what it can do for your gut.

“I started eating them and it’s just worked for me ever since. And you stick to what works for you, doesn’t it?”

Mark has since partnered with California Almonds to encourage Brits to open up about gut health and learn more about how almonds can maintain a healthy gut.

Mark’s wife Michelle Keegan is also a keen fitness enthusiast and revealed her husband had got her into HIIT workouts during lockdown.

She shared: “The fact that he [Mark] would roll out of bed, go into the garden, and I could hear him setting up live outside and I thought, ‘I’ve literally got no excuse, I’m in the bedroom’,” she admitted.

“I literally did it there and then – got my gym mat on the floor and I did half an hour HIIT in the bedroom, and it just set me up for the day and made me feel a lot more positive with what was going on at that time.”

In an interview with Cosmopolitan UK, she revealed that the HIIT classes she follows are ones she finds on YouTube.

“I put different HIIT workouts on YouTube for about 20 minutes and I really enjoy them,” she said.