British comedy legend Sir Lenny Henry has undergone a remarkable weight loss journey over the years, driven by the dangers of Type 2 diabetes and a personal warning from his doctor.
The actor’s health transformation has led to him shedding over six stone.
Sir Lenny – who will be presenting Legends of Comedy this Saturday (November 23) – previously opened up about his reasons for undergoing his health journey.
Lenny Henry’s six stone weight loss
Sir Lenny’s health wake-up call traces back to the loss of his mother, Winifred Henry, who passed away in 1998 from complications related to uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes.
Winifred’s struggle, which included the loss of both legs, had a big impact on the actor and comedian.
“My mum lost two legs through diabetes and eventually died from it, so I knew I had to lose weight,” Sir Lenny recalled in a 2022 interview with Express. “The doctor warned me I was heading the same way.”
He admitted that his struggles with weight had begun to interfere with his daily life, as he was “finding it difficult to get in and out of the car”.
You can’t Hobnob your way through the day.
Determined to avoid his mother’s fate, Sir Lenny embarked on a lifestyle transformation.
According to Diabetes UK, having a parent with Type 2 diabetes makes a person “two to six times more likely” to develop the condition.
The actor’s first steps included a “strict diet” and “lots of walking”.
“You’ve got to eat no sugar and drink hardly any alcohol… all the stuff you like. You can’t Hobnob your way through the day,” Sir Lenny shared.
His efforts paid off, with the comedian initially losing between two-and-a-half and three stone.
Setbacks
His health journey gained momentum in 2011, when Lenny was cast in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. The physically demanding role required four hours of intense rehearsals daily, prompting him to take up Ashtanga yoga, running and other fitness routines.
The award-winning actor quipped that he “didn’t want to be a heffalump running around the stage”.
Even after the play’s run ended, he kept up the momentum, adding dance, Pilates and military-style exercises to his routine. However, the journey was not without setbacks.
By 2014, Lenny noticed his weight creeping back up. Determined not to give up, he doubled his efforts, adopting a vegetarian diet to slim down further.
“What’s my secret? Well, it’s eating broccoli and not much else,” he told The Mirror. “I’ve also been running a lot. It has worked.”
The actor also revealed how challenging dieting could be. “It’s hard, but like anything, if you put your mind to it, you can do it,” he confessed to the Daily Mail in 2015.
In 2018, Sir Lenny lost an additional three stone for his role as Godfrey in BBC’s The Long Song, where he played a Jamaican plantation slave.
Then, in 2022, fans noted his slimmed-down appearance in Amazon Prime’s Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power.
Reflecting on his lifestyle, Sir Lenny told The Sun in 2022: “I try to work, go to the gym, and eat healthy… but when I’m working and writing, I get so consumed by it, so I do try.”
Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry
Award-winning comedian, actor, and writer Sir Lenny Henry delves into the lives and legacies of four iconic comedians in Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry this weekend.
On this weekend’s episode, Sir Lenny chats with actress and comedian Sally Phillips (Smack The Pony, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Veep) as they reflect on her career highlights and comedy influences.
Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry airs on Saturday, November 23, at 8:25pm on Channel 4.
Read more: Dawn French worried about being lonely after 25-year marriage to Lenny Henry crumbled
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