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Famous men strip off for Loose Women's body confidence campaign

Earlier this year, a host of famous Loose Women panellists bravely stripped off and bared their bodies to inspire other women with the hashtag #MyBodyStory, with the likes of Coleen Nolan, Stacey Solomon and Saira Khan posing for the camera.

The campaign was a huge success and now Loose Women have convinced a selection of male celebrities to strip off to promote body confidence in men.

Strictly Come Dancing’s Bruno Tonioli, Coronation Street’s Shayne Ward, Judge Rinder’s Robert Rinder, footballer-turned-pundit Robbie Savage, footballer David Ginola, boxer Frank Bruno and This Morning’s medical expert Dr. Ranj Singh have all ditched their clothes for an honest photoshoot, with each sharing their own body story and inviting viewers to share their own on social media.

The famous men bravely stripped off. Copyright: [Loose Women]
The famous men bravely stripped off. Copyright: [Loose Women]

The photoshoot comes after it was revealed that 73% of men don’t talk to anybody about how they feel about their bodies, and another quarter confessed that they don’t have a body part that they like the most.

The Loose Women survey also revealed that 43% of men said that their self-esteem is affected by their weight, and 47% of men won’t let their partner touch their stomach.

Speaking out, former Tottenham footballer and the host of France Has Got Talent, 50-year-old David Ginola, revealed that his outlook on body confidence changed when he had a heart attack last May and was left dead for eight minutes.

He shared: “One day I just fell on the floor and was dead [for eight minutes]. The clinic told me that nine out of ten people who return after that happens are in a vegetative state. I must have a lucky star – that must be my mother up there watching over me.

The celebrity men have spoken candidly about their body confidence issues. Copyright: [Loose Women]
The celebrity men have spoken candidly about their body confidence issues. Copyright: [Loose Women]

“After what’s happened to me I want to do something positive with my life, help other men take a look at their body and their health, and this campaign is helping with those things.

“The shoot says to men: ‘You don’t need to be ashamed of talking about your body’. I think we should all be proud of ourselves.”

Meanwhile, 42-year-old Robbie Savage recalled being embarrassed of his “skinny” body as a teen, he explained: “I was eight and a half stone. And as a footballer, as an athlete, when you’re getting changed with all these guys who are ripped, who look great, I was the skinny one and I was very uncomfortable.

“I think as somebody who’s probably had issues with his body growing up, I was keen to get involved in the campaign. I was very skinny – I used to wear two pairs of clothes when I was a teenager to go out.

Robbie Savage was embarrassed of his ‘skinny’ body.
Robbie Savage was embarrassed of his ‘skinny’ body.

“All my pals were very athletic and I wanted a six pack and a good pair of arms. I’d try and avoid swimming at school because I was so skinny.

“I just want people out there to embrace themselves and think no matter what shape and size you’ve got to be happy.”

Bruno Tonioli, 61, also saw his body confidence get affected by his chosen career path, confessing that being a dancer made him very critical of his physique, adding: “Don’t hang onto an unattainable fantasy of what you should look like. For younger people the pressure is even worse.

“I think men find it very difficult to open up in general, women, with their girlfriends, are just more open about things like that. Boys, men have this kind of sense of pride which almost stops them from saying, ‘Oh, I’ve got a fat gut’.

Bruno is a judge on Strictly Come Dancing. Copyright: [BBC]
Bruno is a judge on Strictly Come Dancing. Copyright: [BBC]

“Just talk about it, we don’t take it seriously enough.”

Meanwhile, 39-year-old Judge Rinder explained that he “feels a bit gross” when he takes his top off but goes to the gym for his “mental wellbeing” rather than to “look a certain way”.

He continued: “You’re never reasonable, fair or kind, you’re never a kind judge of your own body. You always look for the thing that you think is the worst part of it.

“Every single man – straight, gay or otherwise – feels exactly the same. The difference is, whereas women will talk to each other about it, and it’s become perfectly reasonably and rationally a very important issue to be discussed, men don’t.”

Judge Rinder ‘feels gross’ when he takes his top off. Copyright: [Rex]
Judge Rinder ‘feels gross’ when he takes his top off. Copyright: [Rex]

Dr. Ranj Singh, 38, agreed, dubbing male body confidence as a “growing problem” as he shared his own insecurities.

He said: “I hate going swimming because it means I have to take my top off and this was a message to myself to say, you can do this, you can feel comfortable in your own skin and it’s important for you to do this and hopefully that’s the first step in me feeling a bit more confident about myself.

“We need to create an environment where people are able to open up and speak on it. If we don’t, it’s a ticking time bomb.”

Dr. Ranj Singh thinks body confidence among young men is a ‘growing problem’. Copyright: [ITV]
Dr. Ranj Singh thinks body confidence among young men is a ‘growing problem’. Copyright: [ITV]

X Factor winner turned Corrie actor Shayne Ward, 32, also hoped that the campaign will help young men open up about their body issues, saying: “Hopefully this campaign will give men the confidence to talk about body confidence issues, because a lot of it is thrown away as banter.

“That’s what’s great about this campaign.”

Finally, 55-year-old boxing legend Frank Bruno explained how he wanted young men to focus on having a healthy body rather than a buff one, sharing: “The sad thing with youngsters is they want to look bigger than they are, puffed out and solid and whatever.

“But you’ve got to get the right balance, because you can look big and lift up weights but if you can’t run up the stairs, you get knackered. Life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Love yourself as much as you can.”

Shayne believes being in the public eye has made him more self conscious of his image. Copyright: [Rex]
Shayne believes being in the public eye has made him more self conscious of his image. Copyright: [Rex]

Explaining her decision to do a male version of the successful Loose Women body confidence campaign, Loose Women’s editor Sally Shelford shared: “We were overwhelmed by the response to the original Loose Women Body Stories campaign; many of the viewers who got in touch were men talking about their own experiences of struggling to accept their bodies.

“Together with celebrities like Gok Wan and Freddie Flintoff who have since appeared on the show to bravely talk about their experiences of living with eating disorders and battling self-esteem issues, we knew the next chapter of our campaign needed to reflect the rise in body confidence issues amongst men.

Frank Bruno wants young men to focus on being healthy. Copyright: [Rex]
Frank Bruno wants young men to focus on being healthy. Copyright: [Rex]

“We’re so proud of all the stars who have taken part in this shoot and embraced the message that runs to the core of our campaign: Every Body Tells A Story. We hope it will continue to encourage and inspire everyone to embrace the bodies we have been given.”

Loose Women editor Sally Shelford said: “We were overwhelmed by the response to the original Loose Women Body Stories campaign; many of the viewers who got in touch were men talking about their own experiences of struggling to accept their bodies.

The female campaign was a huge success. Copyright: [Loose Women]
The female campaign was a huge success. Copyright: [Loose Women]

“Together with celebrities like Gok Wan and Freddie Flintoff who have since appeared on the show to bravely talk about their experiences of living with eating disorders and battling self-esteem issues, we knew the next chapter of our campaign needed to reflect the rise in body confidence issues amongst men.

“We’re so proud of all the stars who have taken part in this shoot and embraced the message that runs to the core of our campaign: Every Body Tells A Story. We hope it will continue to encourage and inspire everyone to embrace the bodies we have been given.”

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