Hugh Bonneville shows off his incredible weight loss during VJ Day anniversary

Hugh Bonneville sent fans into a frenzy as he continued to showcase his incredible weight loss while commemorating the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.

The Downton Abbey star, 56, initially debuted his image overhaul last week during a TV interview.

But he left fans equally stunned on Saturday during a BBC broadcast for the celebrations which marked three quarters of a century from the formal end of the Second World War.

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Wow! Hugh Bonneville sent fans into a frenzy as he continued to showcase his incredible weight loss while commemorating the 75th anniversary of VJ Day

Hugh took to the balcony in a black suit and straight green tie as he read out King George VI’s speech to mark the occasion. 

And it was not long until social media was flooded with praise for his fresh look.

One commented: ‘Hugh Bonneville looking gorgeous for VJ Day.’

Another wrote: ‘Jesus Hugh Bonneville has lost a shed load of weight #VJDay75.’

And a third added: ‘Wow look at Hugh Bonneville. Watching VJDay 75, the Nations Tribute. We Will Remember Them.’  

Unrecognisable: Hugh took to the balcony in a black suit and straight green tie as he read out King George VI’s speech to mark the occasion (left, and in 2014, right)

VJ Day marks three quarters of a century on from the formal end of the Second World War which ceased when Japan surrendered.

The commemorative event included a series of star appearances from famed actors portraying key figures from the Second World War such as Paterson Joseph and Martin Shaw. 

Last week, Hugh left fans aghast when he debuted his phenomenal image overhaul while speaking to Alex Jones and Gethin Jones on The One Show over Zoom. 

Pleasant surprise: Fans were quick to flood social media with their praise for his phenomenal weight-loss transformation 

The actor later showed off his epic transformation once again in a snap shared on Twitter as he met up with his best friend from university for a drink. 

Hugh, who was holding a glass and beaming toward the camera, uploaded the snap alongside a caption that read: ’35 years ago we’d just left university. These days we bump elbows. #BestFriends’. 

He is best known for his role in Downton Abbey as Robert Crawley – a role he reprised in the Downton Abbey film which came out last year. 

This role has won him two Emmy nominations and, along with fellow cast members, won three SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama. 

Half the man he used to be: Last week, he left fans aghast when he debuted his phenomenal image overhaul while speaking to Alex Jones and Gethin Jones on The One Show over Zoom (pictured)

Cheers! The actor later showed off his epic transformation once again in a snap shared on Twitter as he met up with his best friend from university for a drink

Late last year, rumours circled that there may be a second Downton Abbey film – an idea Hugh told The Mirror he was open to.

He said: ‘When we started filming, I thought this is going to be a nice full stop, but there is such an appetite for it, I can see it carrying on. I’d never say never!’  

Hugh added that stepping out on the film set wasn’t that different to making the beloved British TV show, as it just felt like ‘a bigger table.’

And of returning to the characters in a feature-length setting, he said: ‘Here we all were eight years later. As we looked around the room there were grins of ‘can you believe we’re here again!’ ‘