Matt Lucas will appear on this weekend’s episode of Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, as the show makes a long-awaited return to screens.

The star has been at the forefront of British comedy for more than two decades, starring alongside David Walliams as co-creator of Little Britain and Come Fly With Me. However, it is his appearance that has been in the spotlight lately.

In addition to acting, the comedian has been open about his weight loss journey, including the heartbreaking reason that initially encouraged him to lose the weight.

From losing a family member who changed his behavior to being shockingly ‘skinny shamed’ during a football match, Matt was driven to diet and exercise.

So why has Matt lost the pounds and improved his health?

The unexpected death of a family member caused Matt to lose weight

In 2022, Matt revealed how his family’s medical history caused him to change his eating habits and become more conscious of his weight.

Matt was only 22 when his father passed away unexpectedly at the age of 52, something he says was a much-needed wake-up call as he got older.

Appearing on sports presenter Gabby Logan’s podcast at the time, he said: ‘I’m 48, my father died when he was 52, very suddenly, his father died I think at 56, so I was looking at the law of the averages.’

“I was really big and I actually kept getting bigger during the pandemic. Kind of not being very active, not really going out, not seeing people, just eating a lot of fried potatoes. I can’t tell you how many fried potatoes I ate!’

He said this realization caused him to lose weight, but the comic said he felt like he needed to exercise more and still get fitter.

He added: “I was so big I couldn’t really fit on the screen anymore. The thing is, when you grow up, and by the way, I still have a good stomach, I’m not skinny by any means, I just lost some weight…

‘I’ve gone from maybe an XXL, sometimes I was an XXXL, to a medium now I think. Although sometimes medium is big for me and sometimes small for me…

‘The only thing I have to do is get fitter, I have gained some weight, that is my next challenge to exercise more. Maybe I should make it a game when I exercise to stay away from people. I don’t have a garden, so I have to find a way to do that.’

You’re ashamed of football

After making a concerted effort to lose weight and get fitter, the last thing Matt could have expected was to worry about being thinner.

However, that wasn’t the case, as Matt shared after a shocking incident that took place while attending a football match between his beloved Arsenal and Manchester United in April 2022.

“For the first time in my life, I think I’m just ashamed.”

His post received a lot of support from well-wishers who congratulated him on losing weight.

In response to his post, actress Sarah O’Connell wrote: “You look amazing and most importantly, happy.”

Another positive message read: ‘You look incredible and [the individual who confronted Matt] know it’.

Diabetes scare

In April 2020, Matt admitted he was keen to ‘get fitter’ during lockdown after feeling like he had ‘gained a bit of weight’.

He said: ‘All I need to do is get fitter, I’ve put on a bit of weight, that’s my next challenge to exercise a bit more.

“Maybe I should make a game of it when I’m doing an exercise to stay away from people. I don’t have a garden, so I have to find a way to do that.’

The prankster was previously told by doctors to reduce his daily calorie intake to 1,500 because he feared he was developing diabetes.

By Kirsten Murray for Mailonline

Published: 04:16 EST, January 1, 2024 | Updated: 04:16 EST, January 1, 2024