Former Premier League star Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock has lost seven stones after gastric sleeve surgery.
The ex-Liverpool and Spurs defender, 54, who has also appeared on reality TV shows I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here! and Celebrity MasterChef, told Web the surgery “saved my life” after he admitted his eating and drinking had gotten out of control.
He was inspired for the procedure by James “Arg” Argent, who has lost 13 stone since undergoing the same surgery in May 2021 after meeting the former TOWIE star, 35, at a celebrity soccer game.
Speaking exclusively, Razor says his weight has been “bloated” to 27 stone during lockdown after discovering takeout service Uber Eats and being able to order ice cream straight to his home.
Razor said: “I’ve struggled during Covid, that was a big factor just sitting on my bum at home and getting bigger and bigger. I got lazy.
The ex-Liverpool and Spurs defender told Web the surgery “saved my life” after admitting his eating and drinking had gotten out of control (pictured after surgery).
Former Premier League star Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock has lost seven stones after gastric sleeve surgery (pictured in 2019)
He was inspired for the procedure by James Argent, who has lost 13 stone since having the same surgery in May 2021 after meeting the former TOWIE star at a celebrity soccer game
“I ate tons of takeout and made bacon sandwiches just to get something done.
“It really didn’t help when they put out Uber Delivery, I got ice cream delivered by Co-op… it’s freakin’ madness.
“It was just fate that I met Arg at a charity soccer game. I knew I had to get it done after seeing how great he looked.”
Speaking about how his life was in danger, he added: “I definitely feared for my life.
“I know a lot of people are going to read this and say I cheated and I’ll tell you what I did… I cheated death.
‘The way I went, who knows how long I could go on like this.’
The England international, who is widely regarded as one of football’s most colorful characters, underwent surgery on September 8 at Transform Hospital Group, the specialist hospital that also operated on Arg.
Dad-of-four Razor, who has been married to former glamor model Leah, 41, for 10 years, explained how doctors removed two-thirds of his stomach to stop him from overeating as he gets full faster.
Father-of-four, Razor, explained how doctors removed two-thirds of his stomach to stop him from overeating as he gets full faster (pictured in 2013).
Considered one of football’s most colorful characters, Neil underwent surgery on September 8th at Transform Hospital Group, the specialist hospital that also operated on Arg
Neil, who has previously appeared on I’m A Celeb and MasterChef, looked slim in a recent Instagram post, captioning the picture about how he’s treating himself on Valentine’s Day (pictured in February).
James lost 13 stones after gastric sleeve surgery in 2021. In addition to the procedure, he had a tummy tuck in January to remove excess skin around his stomach (pictured in 2019).
He said: “I can still eat whatever I want, but now I can only eat about four bites.
“So when I’m at my local curry house, I order three dishes and bite from each. I get the same satisfaction because it fills me up.’
He continued, “It also takes away some hormones. I can drive the kids through McDonald’s and I don’t want anything. Whereas I would have had it earlier even if I wasn’t hungry.
“My usual order would be a big Big Mac meal, a Filet-O-Fish, a cheeseburger, and a chocolate milkshake…that was lovely.”
Razor, who was fitted with a pacemaker after being diagnosed with a heart problem while appearing on ITV1 series Harry’s Heroes in 2020, suffered from pain in his knees due to his weight which has now eased.
And the ex-Millwall and Southampton star was also a heavy drinker, but thanks to his surgery he can no longer drink fizzy drinks, leaving his favorite drinks, beer and cider, off-limits, although he can still enjoy a glass of wine.
“I understand my wife’s wine hangover now, I used to tell her to ‘get up,'” he joked. “But I understand now, they are so painful.”
The popular after-dinner speaker, who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013, intends to shed “a few more stones” by continuing his new healthy lifestyle while playing more golf as he no longer needs to use a buggy to to move course.
Razor also says he has even more confidence in posing nude, which he did regularly when he appeared as a guest on the Sky Max comedy-sports panel show A League Of Their Own.
He added: “The old wedding gear has gotten a lot bigger, I can do helicopters and everything with it. I can actually see it now!’