Peter Kay, 52, reveals ‘shameful’ moment he realised he had a binge eating problem as he admits he spent ‘the first 48 years of his life’ trying to lose weight

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As someone who’s followed health and wellness trends for years, I was really moved by Peter Kay’s recent interview. He opened up about a lifelong struggle with his weight, admitting he spent the first 48 years of his life trying to lose it. He also shared the deeply personal and, as he described it, shameful moment he realized he was dealing with binge eating. It’s so brave of him to talk about this, and I think it will really resonate with a lot of people.

Fans were surprised to see the 52-year-old comedian return to public life in 2024 after a five-year break, and he appeared significantly thinner.

Peter addressed his weight loss publicly for the first time during a conversation with Sara Cox at The Lowry theatre in Salford.

When asked if he’d ever tried to lose weight, he joked that he had – for the first 48 years of his life. He explained that he eventually felt he needed to focus on his health.

I really tried every weight loss method I could find. I even went to support groups like Slimming World and WeightWatchers, trying them all in hopes of success.

He remembered the specific instance that helped him understand he had a binge eating disorder: leaving the movie theater while on a date with his wife, Susan.

Peter described how he lied about going to the toilet only to leave the screening to eat a hotdog.

He told The Sun he was having success with his diet until he gave in to temptation. He ate a hotdog and, amusingly, saw his reflection in a poster for the movie *Babe* while doing so.

I was shocked and thought, ‘You’re doing so great on this diet, it’s almost wrong!’ It felt like I shouldn’t be celebrating your success.

He mentioned that after tossing it in the trash, he quickly snatched it back before it fell into the bag and ended up eating it anyway.

Peter explained that his unhealthy eating started in childhood, when his mother would bring him pies to school.

In 2017, the star disappointed many fans by canceling his highly anticipated comeback tour, citing unexpected family issues.

After the show was cancelled, the comedian stepped away from public life for five years.

Fans were intensely speculating about why he had disappeared, and his social media accounts went quiet. He finally returned in March 2018 to announce a charity screening of his show, Car Share.

The event aimed to collect donations for The Lily Foundation, a charity that supports children with mitochondrial disease. Peter explained on his blog that he had personal experience with the charity’s important work.

Peter vanished from public view for a year, and it’s said he moved to Tipperary, Ireland, where he intentionally kept a low profile.

A local resident told The Sun that Peter seemed determined to stay out of the spotlight and actively tried not to draw attention to himself during his visit.

He wasn’t one for socializing at local spots like pubs or restaurants, and he generally kept to himself. People rarely saw him except when he was just passing by.

The neighbor mentioned that Peter was trying to avoid attention, but his luxury Range Rover made that difficult, as it stood out.

In November 2017, Peter mentioned a second home he owns in Ireland during an appearance on The Late Late Show. He explained he prefers not to discuss it publicly, fearing it might attract burglars. He and his family have owned a property there for twelve years.

We visit often, especially during school breaks. We usually skip coming at Christmas though, as the house gets really cold and takes a long time to heat up.

In 2019, Peter Kay’s Car Share won the award for Best Comedy at the National Television Awards. However, Peter Kay didn’t attend the ceremony, so his co-star, Sian Gibson, accepted the award for the show.

When Peter’s old co-star from Phoenix Nights, Paddy McGuinness, presented Sian with the award, he playfully asked where Peter was. Sian replied that he was at home, relaxing with a cup of tea.

Sian suggested she and Peter were already discussing future collaborations, even though their show, Car Share, finished in 2018.

Peter made an unexpected appearance at a Car Share screening in Blackpool in April 2019. It was his first public event in months, and it helped raise £34,000 for The Lily Foundation.

While in town by the beach, Peter also took a picture with fans who were riding the coastal tram.

That December, Peter went to see the Peter Pan pantomime in Crewe and the musical *Nativity!* in London, where he took a photo with director Debbie Isitt.

It was wonderful to see the incredibly funny Peter Kay and his family at our last performance of Nativity tonight! It was a delightful surprise for everyone.

Peter planned to return to performing in February 2020 with six Dance For Life shows, but unfortunately, the Covid pandemic forced him to postpone them.

The comedian briefly returned to television in April 2020 for BBC’s Big Night In, appearing in a new version of his famous music video for “(Is This The Way To) Amarillo.”

He followed this up by performing two sold-out Dance For Life concerts to benefit Laura Nuttall, a 21-year-old who was battling an aggressive brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme. Sadly, she passed away in May 2023.

In November 2022, Peter excited fans by announcing he’d be touring again after a 12-year break, with a regular monthly performance at London’s O2 Arena.

Peter was deeply touched when the Manchester audience gave him a long, enthusiastic standing ovation on his first night performing there, bringing him to tears.

Visibly shaken by the audience’s response, Peter stammered, ‘Wow, what just happened? How am I supposed to perform comedy after that?’

‘Lovely Manchester you made me cry… where did it come from, all that emotion?’

Fans were surprised to see a recent photo of Peter performing his stand-up comedy show from May of last year.

And the comic spoke of his own appearance, saying: ‘See how much weight Peter Kay has lost.’

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2025-09-16 01:06