TOP STORES LINE UP TO USE 21-STONE EX-WRESTLER
Sunday Mail
The former WWE wrestler and rugby player, who thought an agency was having a laugh when it asked to sign him, is the new face of Slaters’ Big and Tall campaign.
The 37-year-old, who is on the books of Scotland’s top agency Colours, is now one of Britain’s top male plus-size models and well-known brands are queuing up to use him in their campaigns.
Jonathan – who has a 56in chest – is more in demand than many of his more svelte contemporaries thanks to the industry’s realisation that beefy men like to be fashionable too.
But the 6ft 3in sel f- confessed “chunky bear” admits it took the agency several attempts to convince him they were serious before he did his first photoshoot.
Jonathan, who lives in Edinburgh with his fiancé Peter, 23, said: “When my partner told me the agency had been in touch, I thought he was taking the p***. I’m 6ft 3in and over 21st – I seriously thought they were having a laugh.
“In my head, men models were male versions of Kate Moss, all thin and waif-like, so I just ignored the message.
“It was only when they messaged again that I decided to talk to them and see what it was all about. I went
along to a shoot in Edinburgh and it wasn’t long before I got offered more jobs. I’ve just shot for Slaters’ Big and Tall range. I’ve done the Men In Kilts calendar and various online ads.
“Posing in front of a camera is not something I ever dreamed I would be doing. I’m used to flinging people about a rugby field or a wrestling ring so it’s a whole different world. I think it helps that I don’t take it too seriously.
“I didn’t have a clue that there was a demand for plus-size male models. I’m not one of those people who advocates for men to be chunky but, if my look appeals to some people, then great – go for it.”
He added: “The irony is Peter is the model in the family. The only reason Colours found out about me was because I went with him to a meeting in their Glasgow office.
“I sat and chatted to them while he got portfolio pictures taken. Then, two months later, they contacted him about me after I hadn’t replied to a message they had sent me on Instagram.
“We do joke about how they took me on and not Peter, who is pretty and slim with big lips. Apparently, the model market has changed and, if it had still been the 90s, he would have been a supermodel. But now they want big chunky bears like me.”
Mark Conlin, from Colours, said: “I know Jonathan thought we were joking when we asked if we could sign him up but we knew instantly that he could make it big in plus-size male modelling.
“He has a great personality and a positive attitude, which will see him go far in the fashion industry as it expands to cater for all shapes and sizes.” Slaters’ marketing director Susan Rose said: “The demand is out there from companies like ours
for models like Jonathan