From desk jockey to runway hottie
Red-headed Gwilym grew a beard, lost some weight and never looked back
THEY say beards can make or break a man – do it right and the world’s your oyster. Do it wrong and, well, you could be mistaken for a homeless person. But one look at these before-and-after pictures and there’s no doubt which category this guy falls into. And he’s a ginger, no less – a colour not usually associated with smouldering hunks.
Thanks to some strategic facial fluff, several serious sessions in the gym and a change in eating habits, Gwilym Pugh (33) has gone from tubby desk jockey to sought-after international model.
He’s graced the pages of glossy men’s mags, worked on a host of campaigns for top brands such as Vans, Bud Light, Gillette, Esprit and Diesel, and is an ambassador for David Beckham’s new male grooming brand, House 99.
Yet a decade ago this carrot-topped poster boy looked nothing like the ripped heart-throb he is today. Clean-shaven and decidedly porkier, the then 21-year-old spent his days holed up at home working on getting his insurance business up and running.
The long hours and sedentary lifestyle took their toll on the former Wales Under-16 basketball player and he piled on the kilos, especially as he couldn’t exercise because of a nagging knee injury. Gwilym ended up tipping the scales at a hefty 127kg.
Then things took a dramatic turn when he and a few pals started a folk band. His barber urged him to grow a beard, saying it would make him fit in better with the band’s look.
Gwilym also decided to shape up and set himself a target of shedding 40kg. “The insurance business was doing okay and I decided I needed to get my life in order,” he told Britain’s Daily Mail.
He cut out takeaways but what made the biggest difference was not sitting behind a desk. “It was the best thing for my health,” says Gwilym, who’s now 85kg.
WHILE in the process of reinventing himself he created an Instagram account – gwilymcpugh – which caught the attention of Welsh tailor Nathan Palmer, who decided there could be something special about this guy.
One thing led to another and Gwilym found himself being photographed for a coffee-table book called 100 Beards.
Thanks to his distinctive looks it wasn’t long before he was signed up with top London agency AMCK Models.
He’s now “happier and healthier than I ever thought possible”.
“I’m doing things that didn’t even cross my mind to dream of,” he says. “Having worked in finance for years, I find the opportunity to work with creative people and travel around the world amazing.”
Keeping that ripped body in tip-top shape means fitness is key to his lifestyle and he works out in the gym regularly.
But despite his newfound fame, Gwylim remains humble at heart. “I try not to get caught up in it all and my girlfriend, Liz, helps a great deal with that. She keeps me grounded.”