Paddy McGuinness says weight-loss results were so drastic he was accused of AI

Comedian Paddy McGuinness has opened up about his recent weight-loss journey, which has had results so drastic that his followers have accused him of using AI in his before and after pictures.

Earlier this week, the 52-year-old shared before and after photos to Instagram, showing his transformation after following a new fitness regime for 75 days called the 75 Hard challenge.

Speaking on BBC Radio 2’s The Scott Mills Breakfast Show, McGuinness said his “boredom” kickstarted his fitness journey, but that he wanted to do something “really out of my comfort zone”.

The 75 Hard is a fitness challenge created by US entrepreneur Andy Frisella, and according to his website, it entails two 45-minute workouts a day – one of which must be outside, drinking 4.5 litres of water a day, following a diet of your choice, no alcohol and reading 10 pages of a non-fiction book each day.

McGuinness finished the challenge this month, and discussed the response on social media after posting his results.

He said: “The most hilarious thing was people saying my before photo was AI. Surely it’s the after which you AI?

“The AI is when you’re painting on abs.”

He said: “I thought ‘right, I’m going to eat what I want and not do anything’, I wanted to go ground zero and work my way up again. That was my idea about it when I took that picture.

“I look back at it, I was like ‘my god, I have gone for it there’.”

Posting about the challenge to his 2.2 million followers on Instagram, he said: “I still can’t believe how much I’d let myself go.

“That before pic is the result of just under two months of binge eating — beer, cakes, and biscuits. The effect it had on my body, and more importantly my mind, was staggering.”

He said he will post a full 75-day picture time-lapse next week to show his progress, and said: “It really is amazing what can be achieved in such a short period of time… if you’ve got the willpower.

“I thoroughly enjoyed taking on the Hard 75 challenge, and now I’m on the lookout for the next one.

“Challenges like Hard 75 aren’t for everyone, but if you’ve got even an ounce of willpower, why not give something a whirl?”

He added: “PS the tan helps.”

In the post, McGuinness did not mention specific numbers regarding how much weight he lost during the challenge.

He also spoke about when he took on the ultra endurance cycle challenge to raise money for BBC’s Children In Need in 2024, which saw him cycle through three nations and eight counties.

McGuinness said: “When I did the Children In Need challenge, it was so physically exertive that I used to kind of think ‘how did I manage that?’ and ‘how did I do that challenge?’

“I thought, ‘I’d love to do something again really out of my comfort zone’ – and that’s what I did.

“I had a bit of free time, I had about a month and a half, and I thought ‘I’m going to do it’.”

He said: “The best advice if you’re doing a challenge like that is don’t do too much straight away.

“It’s just about getting yourself out and doing it.”

The full interview with McGuinness can be heard on Wednesday’s edition of The Scott Mills Breakfast Show.