Ethan Payne's girlfriend Faith Kelly has called out trolls who have accused her boyfriend of 'cheating' weight loss by getting surgery. Ethan, otherwise known as Behzinga, is a member of popular YouTube group 'Sidemen', alongside fellow internet stars KSI and W2S.
Their videos have racked up more than 25 billion views on the social media platform and together they have become one of the UK's top British YouTube groups since starting in 2013. But despite the success, for several years founding member Ethan was unhappy with his 16st physique.
In 2018, he began his weight loss journey and worked endlessly to shed the pounds. He went on to lose almost five stone, but admits being left with confidence issues due to excess loose skin left on his body from his dramatic weight loss.
Recently, he documented his 'tummy tuck' on social media after going under the knife to remove the loose skin - in a bid to improve his mental health. In a YouTube video titled 'I’m Having A Surgery…', he told viewers: "I'll be leaving my old self behind."
Ahead of the surgery, which he had on May 10, the influencer spoke about how happy he hopes to be with his body after the procedure. Over the last few days, his girlfriend, Faith Kelly, shared clips of his surgery on her Instagram Story.
One Sidemen fan spliced all the clips together, which show before and after results, on TikTok - with the caption: "Proud of ya Behz!" Thousands of viewers headed to the comment section to praise Ethan for his hard work.
Tillxxx said: "So happy so see how much happier he is now." Danniella Marrero put: "This is going to boost is confidence so much and show what he’s worked one v proud." Tom Williamson penned: "Incredible transformation, keep up the grind."
Some fans called out trolls who slammed Ethan for having the procedure, with some claiming it was 'cheating'. In response, one user, Joseph Cramer, said: "You can't loose overhanging skin, doesn’t matter how much you work out, well done lad."
Another, called Walo, echoed: "People in the comments acting like loose skin will tighten on its own." Creator of the montage TikTok, _SDMN_FAN_ added: "To all the commenters that are being ignorant. Take your ignorance elsewhere. Behz has worked the hardest before getting this surgery. Only love here!"
Faith Kelly made her own TikTok video to address the claims trolls were making in the comment section of the video about Ethan's decision to get surgery. "So unfortunately I have gone onto this post and have read quite a few negative comments," she starts off by saying.
She then reads out a number of negative comments, including one by one by 'User12332' who said: "I love Behz, but feel like this is low-key cheating hard work."
Faith hits back by saying: "No hard work has been cheated. I don't know the exact numbers but I think it was something like 110kg to now around 80, which is insane. And he did that through diet and exercise before the operation."
She later adds: "I mean, did you not watch his documentary? Did you not see what his old body did to his mental health and how much it torn him down? Now he's doing something to help his confidence to make him happier and we're all bashing him for it."
She continued: "Are you a surgeon? Are you a cosmetic practitioner? Have you seen Ethan in person, have you assessed his body?... The answer is no, therefore you are being a keyboard warrior and affecting possible mental health, so just stop."
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Many applauded Faith for calling out trolls and being supportive. Takara-Bella replied: "It’s crazy to see how entitled other people get when it comes to someone else’s body. You are such a great partner for speaking out for him Faith."
Sharice asked: "Why is people so bothered? Ethan has came along way and if he wants to get rid of excess skin leave him be. Support you both." Sliderfy put: "This is actually so supportive."
According to the NHS, a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is cosmetic surgery to improve the shape of the tummy area (abdomen). It can involve removing excess loose skin, fat and stretch marks and tightening the abdominal muscles.
The aim is to remove excess skin on the tummy that cannot be removed through exercise – for example, excess skin caused by pregnancy or losing a lot of weight. It's not a quick fix for losing weight as the procedure is usually only recommended for people with a healthy body mass index (BMI).
