Covid curse of the celebrity dad bod: Male stars who have piled on the pounds in lockdown

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Many of us are guilty of putting on a few pounds over lockdown, with gyms closed and close proximity to the snack drawer while working from home proving all too tempting.

And it’s not just us, even celebrities from across the globe have fallen prey to the Covid stone, with some showing off their dad bods on social media. 

Will Smith recently admitted he’s in the ‘worst shape of my life’ after months of lockdown restrictions, sharing a revealing snap with a vow to turn things around. 

And last year Paddy McGuiness – who stunned fans in 2019 with an incredible ripped body transformation – joked he could ‘no longer see his penis’ after failing to keep up with his fitness regime.

Here FEMAIL reveals the male stars who have overindulged during the pandemic.

NICK KNOWLES

In November last year, the DIY SOS presenter, 58, admitted he ‘put on a lot of weight during the first lockdown’ due to gorging on pies.

Nick appeared on BBC One’s Morning Live to discuss the trolling he received online over his fuller figure after wearing a wetsuit for a DIY SOS Children In Need Special episode.

He admitted he couldn’t do any training, was doing a lot of writing and scoffed ‘a lot of banana bread’, adding: ‘There was a combination of what an amazing job and also who ate all the pies? Well I did. You do whatever you have to do to get through lockdown.’ 

WILL SMITH

The star is used to being in excellent shape for his roles in action films like I, Robot and I Am Legend, but Will had Instagram buzzing this week when he shared a snap of himself in his underwear, admitting he has gained weight in recent months.

The 52-year-old actor followed it up with a Boomerang snap of himself in nothing but a pair of tiny black boxer briefs, admitting he’s in the ‘worst shape’ of his life after gorging on midnight muffins.

Will went on to reveal that he is on the verge of beginning his fitness journey to get back his toned physique and that it will all be documented for an upcoming YouTube project. 

He captioned the post to his near 53million followers writing: ‘This is the body that carried me through an entire pandemic and countless days grazing thru the pantry. I love this body, but I wanna FEEL better. No more midnight muffins… this is it!’ 

MARTIN COMPSTON

Line of Duty’s Vicky McClure jokingly revealed in March that her co-star Martin Compston, 36, struggled to fit into his suits when the cast returned to filming series six after their schedule was disrupted by the pandemic.

She claimed he gorged on In- N-Out burgers while he stayed at his home in Las Vegas for lockdown – and when he returned, he found DS Steve Arnott’s signature tailored waistcoats and trousers ‘a bit tight’.

Vicky explained how in the run-up to his return to filming, producers bought him a bike for his flat to keep him entertained.

She added: ‘Apparently he just ate soup for two weeks. But, yeah, he said that he had tried on his suits and they were a bit tighter than usual.’

PADDY MCGUINESS 

In April last year, Top Gear host Paddy, 47, admitted he failed to keep up with his fitness regimen while in coronavirus lockdown, even joking that he could no longer see his manhood over his belly.

The comedian took to social media with a snap of him teasing his slightly rounded tummy, next to a shot of a ripped Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays an inmate in the movie Shot Caller.

He wrote: ‘In every Prison movie I’ve watched people tend to come out of isolation looking in peak physical condition?’ I’ve only been on lockdown for 18 days and I can no longer see my penis!’  

CHRIS HUGHES 

Last month Love Island hunk Chris revealed he gained weight during lockdown because ‘some days all I want to do is eat’.

The reality star, 28, who rose to fame with his chiseled abs on the 2017 series, admitted he felt a little apprehensive stripping off on ITV Racing in March for an ice bath challenge, but is ultimately ‘happy in my own skin’.

Chris told The Sun: ‘When I did that ice bath challenge I was like, “God, my body does not look like it did four years ago in Love Island”.

He added that it ‘hasn’t been easy’ spending lockdown alone after splitting from his girlfriend Jesy Nelson last April after 16-months together. 

PETE DOHERTY 

In March the Babyshambles and Libertines frontman, 42, was spotted walking his dog in the French countryside with his girlfriend Katia De Vidas, sporting a fuller frame than in his rocker days. 

He looked distinctly slimmer when he was spotted – looking a little worse for wear – arriving at Gare du Nord in Paris in May 2019.

Pete told The Sun his new look is largely down to a drug-free life that involves a lot of sleeping – and cheese on toast with the odd boozy cocktail.

‘I like Comté [a type of French cheese], Comté on toast. My guilty pleasure is sleeping,’ he said. ‘For years and years, I would stay up for five or six days and then I would sleep for 24 hours, so now I love sleep. At the moment I’m quite clean. I stopped taking heroin and ketamine.’

He added: ‘I like experimenting, making cocktails with champagne, a bit of rum, orange juice, I’m coming across like a bit of an alcoholic, but I’m not — I like a nice glass of water.’  

MATTHEW PERRY 

Friends star Matthew, 51, was spotted out in LA in April last year and looked almost unrecognisable from his sitcom days, sporting grey hair, stubble and a rather swollen belly.

He hinted on Instagram that he was finding lockdown hard; it’s believed he spent it with sober friends after years of public alcohol and drug issues. 

National Enquirer reported in July last year that Matthew had ballooned to 20.5 stone.