James Arthur blames love of cake for lockdown weight gain

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 2d

James Arthur reveals that his "sweet tooth" has led to him ballooning to 17 stone during the coronavirus lockdown.

James Arthur has revealed that he has gone up to 17 stone during the coronavirus lockdown because of his love of cake.

The 32-year-old - winner of The X Factor in 2012 - blames his "sweet tooth" for piling on the pounds over the last few months but is now hoping that a new exercise regime will leave him fitter than ever.

"I have put on a fair bit of weight since the beginning of the lockdown because there's nothing else to do but stuff my face," the singer told The Sun. "I've got a sweet tooth so it's just cake really. I love cake.

"I'm pretty much a vegan so I've been having the fake meat - sausage sandwiches and stuff like that I've been digging into.

"I've set myself a goal to lose a bit of weight. It might sound extreme but I'm 6ft 3in and I weigh 17 stone so I'd like to drop a couple of stone if possible.

"I've done a couple of ten-mile bike rides and that's really effective. I've got a gym set up at the house, I've got a bunch of cardio machines like a treadmill and a Peloton bike.

"I want to come out of this thing in the best shape that I've ever been in, that's something I'm genuinely striving for."

Last week Arthur re-released his 2017 single 'Safe Inside' to raise money for mental health and NHS charities during the coronavirus pandemic.

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