Many of us piled on the pounds in lockdown, so it’s relatable to hear Jordan Banjo talk about gaining three stone.
The Diversity star was cruelly body shamed and admits it left him feeling so insecure he didn’t want to leave his house even after lockdown restrictions were lifted.
The dancer will talk about his weight issues and its effect on his mental health in a special version of Loose Men today.
Returning to the panel for a second time, Jordan opens up to fellow panellists Andi Peters, Ore Oduba and Chaser Shaun Wallace about his self-image.
Kiss DJ Jordan, who has now lost his excess pounds, says: “We, as dudes, I think like we’re quite harsh on ourselves. Everything is expected to be taken in stride and as a joke.
“During lockdown, I put on like three stone. I put on a lot of weight and it took me ages to shift it again.
“I came out of my radio show and this guy pulls up in a van next to me.
“He puts his window down and goes, ‘Wahey – can tell you haven’t been dancing for a while!’ I was with my friends. As a group of lads, we’re all expected to go, ‘Oh yeah, that’s funny’.
“He drives off and to him, he’s had a bit of lad banter and we’re all meant to be like, ‘Oh, that was cool’.
“But really? That stuff hurts. For the next month I didn’t want to go out. I was like, are people going to recognise me from being in Diversity, but think, ‘Oh, he’s too big?’
“It genuinely really affected me.”
