Ed Balls reveals impressive Strictly Come Dancing weight loss

Ex-Labour MP Ed Balls has made no secret of his hopes that ballroom dancing will have a dramatic effect on his waistline.

BBC

Today he’s revealed that it seems to be working wonders, and his six weeks on the show have enabled him to shed a whopping STONE in weight already.

But that’s not enough. Oh no. In an announcement that may well cause some serious eye-rolling in the BBC wardrobe department, the 49-year-old politician revealed he wants to shift another seven pounds before he’s done.

That’s a lot of wasted chiffon and spandex.

“My wife wanted me to lose weight. I had a stone and a half to go,” he explained on ITV’s This Morning. “I lost a stone in six weeks… I am toning up and changing shape, It’s like running a marathon every day.”

ITV/Wenn

Ed revealed he was initially a little reluctant to appear on Strictly Come Dancing just a year after losing his seat in the general election. He credits wife Yvette Cooper for changing his mind. How? Well, she pointed out that dancing would be a good way of shedding some of his bulk. Nice!

The former shadow chancellor also claimed that his Strictly appearance has made political differences among his peers just melt away, and he even counts PM Theresa May and ex-Chancellor George Osbourne among his supporters, along with former bosses Gordon Brown and Ed Milliband.

He even jokingly branded them a “new coalition.”

In your dreams, Ed.