LOVE ISLAND’S CURTIS HAS LAST LAUGH
HE came fourth in this year’s Love Island and bagged sexy Maura Higgins.
But Curtis Pritchard has admitted that he struggled with his body image after leaving the villa.
The 23-year-old was “fatshamed” on social media after gaining 2st during his time on the ITV2 reality show, and says he found the trolls’ behaviour “disgusting and disrespectful”.
“I did put on a lot of weight in the villa – but I had an incredible time in there,” says Curtis.
“I was stood next to a lot of gymorientated people with fantastic, almost-too-good bodies. I have a more comfy build so I wasn’t surprised that people said stuff.
“But I do think it’s disgusting and disrespectful – to be actually fatshamed shouldn’t be happening to anyone. It’s bullying.”
But Curtis is having the last laugh having recently signed big-money deals with Debenhams and WW (formerly Weight Watchers) as well as bagging the receptionist role, welcoming contestants, on The Greatest Dancer which starts in February. His earnings are expected to be at least £500,000.
With WW, he says he is working with them on an app, and hopes to create a “sustainable healthy lifestyle” for himself after struggling with crash diets.
Binge
“My weight has fluctuated all my life,” says Curtis. “I’ve always liked my food, but I’ve never found a way to enjoy it and keep up a healthy lifestyle. I’ve done crash diets, where I’ve eaten hardly anything and done loads of exercise and lost 2st, but then you binge and put all the weight back on.
“It’s so bad for your mental and physical health and I don’t want to do that any more.
“I want to do something that is sustainable and I’d like to prove to myself that I can do it.”
The trained ballroom dancer, younger brother of Strictly pro AJ, has recently got back into dancing after his summer on Love Island.
“I did my first bit of dancing in a while the other day, and all I can say is that I did struggle to walk the day after,” he laughs.
“But I’m starting to do that again,