Britain’s Got Talent star who didn’t need a fat suit to play a Panto Dame at 25st lands the role of Prince Charming after shedding 10st stone in a year
- EXCLUSIVE: Kieran Sutcliffe, 32, of Shepshed, Leicestershire, has lost 10 stone
- Singer reached BGT live semi-finals with girlfriend Sarah Jameson in 2014
- Was 25st at heaviest and took action after his worried friend broke down in tears
- Spent £10,500 he’d saved for house deposit on gastric sleeve operation in 2018
- Hit the gym after to tone up and now weighs 15 stone and feels like a ‘new man’
- Has since landed dream role of Prince Charming after two years of playing Dame
A Britain’s Got Talent star who tipped the scales at 25 stone and was trolled for his weight and once mistaken for wearing a fat suit has shed an incredible 10 stone in a year – after spending his house deposit on a gastric sleeve.
Kieran Sutcliffe, 32, from Shepshed, Leicestershire, reached the live semi-finals of the ITV show in 2014 with his girlfriend Sarah Jameson, 34, from Northampton.
At the time Kieran weighed around 23 stone, but in the years that followed he continued to pile on the pounds, surviving on a diet of junk food while performing in shows around the country.
Last year, by which point he’d peaked at 25 stone, he was spurred to take radical action after experiencing pains in his chest – which led to his close friend breaking down in tears in the pub with worry.
Kieran Sutcliffe, 32, from Shepshed, Leicestershire, reached the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent with girlfriend Sarah Jameson, 34, from Northampton, pictured together, in 2014
Kieran has shed an incredible 10 stone in a year, dropping from 25 stone – after spending his house deposit on a gastric sleeve
Having been told he could be waiting for up to a year for weight-loss surgery on the NHS, Kieran opted to go private – and spent the £10,500 he’d saved for him and Sarah to buy a house together on a gastric sleeve.
Since the operation on August 29 last year, Kieran has managed to shed 80 per cent of his excess body weight and now weighs a healthy 15 stone.
And, after two years of playing the Dame character in pantomime, this year he’s managed to bag his dream role of Prince Charming in Cinderella.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Kieran said he feels like a ‘new man’ and admits the surgery was the ‘best thing he ever did’.
Dynamic duo Kieran and Sarah, pictured at their audition, impressed the BGT judges with their classical crossover performances
‘Being a performer is about being a package – it’s not just about having the best voice, and I wasn’t happy in my own skin,’ he said.
‘I’ve always wanted to be principal boy, but since college, when I was starting to get bigger, they used to say to me I had the leading man voice but was physically too big.
‘It really affected me, I was auditioning and not getting the roles I wanted, and it was getting me down. Now I’ve got a new lease of life and I’m hoping to get a new agent and get back into the West End.
‘My director for panto said he’s never known anyone go from a Dame to a Prince!’
Dynamic duo Kieran and Sarah impressed the BGT judges with their classical crossover performances but failed to reach the live finals with their rousing rendition of Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé’s Barcelona.
Kieran admitted he looks at pictures now and thinks, ‘Oh my God, how did you let yourself get that big?’
Since losing 10 stone (pictured left before and right after), Kieran said he’s been inundated with kind comments on social media, with his before and after photos receiving thousands of likes
Although he was initially trolled for his weight,
Since losing 10 stone, Kieran said he’s been inundated with kind comments on social media, with his before and after photos receiving thousands of likes.
‘It’s a message for all those people that doubted me, it just goes to show there are a lot of nice people out there, and many have told me they’ve been inspired by my achievement, which is overwhelming.’
Kieran hasn’t always struggled with his weight; as a child he was a keen cross-country runner and captain of his school’s football and cricket teams.
Kieran tried various diets over the years, and managed to lose just under four stone following Rosemary Conley’s 5-2 plan, but as soon as he went back on the road performing he sank back into his old eating habits
The pounds began to creep on while he was studying at college and he continued getting bigger after winning a scholarship to Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London to study a musical theatre degree.
‘Every year I was there I gained a stone in weight at least,’ he recalled. ‘When you’ve got long days you just grab fatty foods, you’d go to McDonald’s or KFC and buy a bucket of chicken to get you through the day.
‘Then afterwards you’d go to the pub and have a pint or two, because you didn’t want to go straight to bed. When you’re doing rehearsals you need time to wind down.
‘I noticed I was getting a bit chunky, and then it just spiraled out of control from there. I look at pictures now and think, Oh my God, how did you let yourself get that big?’
At his heaviest, Kieran weighed 25 stone at the age of 30, and admitted his close friends and family were very worried about him
Kieran tried various diets over the years, and managed to lose just under four stone following Rosemary Conley’s 5-2 plan, but as soon as he went back on the road performing he sank back into his old eating habits.
‘My biggest was 25 stone, which is huge. I think I was about 30 at the time,’ he said, adding that it did affect his confidence.
‘I did shows and gigs and I wouldn’t even wear a white shirt under a suit.
‘I was billed as the big man with the big voice, and I got to a stage where I played up to it, cracking jokes about being big and overweight. People laugh thinking you’re alright with it, but inside I was dying.
‘I was like, “God I’m so big, I never used to be like this,” and there were people who knew me back in the day who were really worried about me – my mum, my nan, my partner and my mates were like, “You need to lose weight.”‘
Determined to get fit, Kieran began hitting the gym once he’d recovered, doing a combination of weights and cardio to tone up
Kieran was dealt a harsh reality check when he began experiencing worrying twinges in his chest.
‘I think it was the anxiety of it,’ he admitted. ‘I’d think, I’m 25 stone, I could keel over at any minute.’
He also got a shock when watching a video of himself performing in a duo alongside his slim, athletic friend, singing songs by Michael Ball and Alfie Boe.
‘I looked at myself next to him, and I didn’t look well. I was sweating, my belly was coming out under the shirt I was wearing and over the waistband, and I just thought, Oh my God look at you, you look scruffy. I looked a mess, like a ticking time bomb,’ he said.
Kieran later learned that an audience member in that show turned to Sarah and asked if he was wearing a fat suit.
After two years of playing the Dame in pantomime (pictured), this year Kieran has landed his dream role of Prince Charming
The final turning point came when a friend of his broke down in tears while they were in the pub watching football.
He recalled: ‘We were having a drink and my mate, who I’d known since I was 10 or 11 at school, was talking to me about my weight and he just started crying in front of everyone. He’s a bit of a joker, but he just got really upset and that’s when I realised it wasn’t just affecting me.’
After being told by his doctor he’d have to diet for a year before being eligible for weightloss surgery on the NHS, which could then see him go onto a year-long waiting list for the operation, he decided to pay to go private.
‘I was looking to buy a house so that was my deposit, but houses are always going to be there, but you’re not, and life’s too short,’ he said.
Kieran will be performing as Prince Charming in Cinderella at Egerton Hall in Brackley from 21 to 27 December and at Wykham Theatre in Banbury from 28 to 30 December
Kieran admitted he was worried the weightloss surgery might have affected his voice – but in fact, it’s changed for the good
Kieran underwent the three-and-a-half hour keyhole procedure, where 80 per cent of his stomach was removed by surgeon Chris Sutton, at Spire hospital in Leicester.
Afterwards he was put on a strict liquid diet for eight weeks, and the pounds started to drop off rapidly.
He lost a stone in the first week, followed by 12lb in the second, then 10lb in the third.
Now Kieran can eat whatever he likes, but can feel when he’s had enough as he experiences a pain in his chest similar to acid reflux.
He told how he’s been left with ‘a bit of belly’ but hasn’t struggled with excess skin as he began hitting the gym once he’d recovered, doing a combination of weights and cardio to tone up.
Now Kieran can eat whatever he likes, but can feel when he’s had enough as he experiences a pain in his chest similar to acid reflux
Kieran said he and Sarah (pictured), who have been together for 10 years, are now happier than ever
Kieran admitted he was worried the weightloss surgery might have affected his voice – but in fact, it’s changed for the good.
‘My breath control is now so much better, which is great for singing the big songs from Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables. I’ve also got so much more confidence – it’s like a new lease of life.
‘I’ve got loads more work coming in, and Sarah and I are happier than ever. She’s always loved me, even when I was at my heaviest – she was worried, but she stood by me.’
Kieran will be performing as Prince Charming in Cinderella at Egerton Hall in Brackley from 21 to 27 December and at Wykham Theatre in Banbury from 28 to 30 December. Follow Kieran on Facebook and Twitter.
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