When was James Argent in rehab and what has he said about losing weight?
JAMES Argent has famously struggled with his fluctuating weight for years after being thrust into the spotlight on ITV2's TOWIE.
But it seems that the wants to tackle his waistline once and for all, announcing on January 23, 2020 that he is in need of life saving surgery.
What has James Argent said about losing weight?
On Jan 22 2021, James Argent confirmed to The Sun Online that he planned to undergo lifesaving stomach surgery after doctors warned him: “Lose weight or die.”
Arg, 33, ballooned to 26 stone when he stopped exercising in lockdown — and replaced drink and drugs with fast food.
He told The Sun: “I don’t want to die. An op is the only way I can lose weight.
Arg, 33, is now agonising over which gastric surgery to have.
He is torn between a bypass, which staples part of the stomach together to make it smaller, or a sleeve gastrectomy where a large section of the stomach is removed.
He told The Sun: “I don’t want to die. An op is the only way I can lose weight. I see pictures of myself and it’s too upsetting. The other day I had to ask my manager to put my shoes on for me because I just couldn’t do it — my belly is too big. I can’t do up my own shoe laces.”
He added: “I don’t want to die, it’s as simple as that. I’ve been told by doctors that I am morbidly obese and need to lose weight, but I have an eating disorder, so I can’t do it.
“I’ll either starve and work out three times a day and be really skinny, or do no exercise and eat takeaways every day.
When was James Argent in rehab?
On August 27 2019 The Sun exclusively revealed that James was heading back to rehab.
A source told The Sun Online: “James was under a dark cloud recently and has made the brave decision to enter back into a programme to help him get back on track.
"He has been attending regular therapy and secondary care at an outpatient treatment facility in London."
Arg previously checked into The Priory in 2014 after being suspended from TOWIE after being found with traces of cocaine.
He then went into a Thai rehab facility in 2017 for his own mental and physical well being.
Did James Argent take a break from TOWIE?
James didn't film the start of series 23 of TOWIE after agreeing with producers to take a break.
A source said: “James told his family and friends he wouldn’t be starting filming with this series of TOWIE.
“He’s being supported by the show’s producers who have agreed he needs to take time out to focus on himself.”
An insider also said at the time that Arg's troubles had "put a huge strain" on his and Gemma's relationship.
Why did James Argent and Gemma Collins break up?
In July 2020, Gemma announced that she was taking a break from Instagram "to heal" after her explosive split from Arg.
The Celebrity Big Brother star had revealed furious texts Arg sent her in the wake of their explosive split on social media.
The reality TV star blasted Gemma when she refused to pay for holiday flights - telling pals he'd spent his money on takeaways and surgery.
The on-off lovers fell out after the 32-year-old had his ears pinned back last month following a stint in rehab for cocaine addiction.
He kept the op a secret and went into hiding at his home in Essex while his ears healed.
But pals said when he asked for handouts it led to a series of explosive rows and Gemma finally dumped him after he asked for an open relationship.
MORE ON ARG
Private messages between the pair were posted on Gemma's Instagram page, which have since been deleted, that saw Arg branding her a "hippo" and a "fat f**k".
Sharing earlier screengrabs of their heated conversation, Arg had sent her a plane emoji in reply to a picture of flight details.
Gemma then shared a screenshot of cruel pig emojis she'd been sent, although it was unclear if these were also from Arg.