Curtis Pritchard has declared himself ‘Speedo body ready’ as he returns to the Love Island villa after being cruelly fat-shamed during his last stint on the dating show. The professional dancer, who finished the show in fourth place alongside Maura Higgins, was hounded by trolls in 2019. Curtis, 28, found himself on the receiving end of backlash, not only for dumping then girlfriend Amy Hart, but for apparently gaining weight during his eight weeks in the villa that's renowned for its statuesque contestants. Unflattering before and after photos of Curtis were splashed across social media as trolls claimed he no longer resembled the buff six-pack sporting hunk in his promotional shots.
After being announced as one of 12 ex islanders returning to the ITVX dating show this January, Curtis says: "I've been hitting the gym as much as I possibly can. “I did get fat-shamed in there. But you know what? I was on holiday. So when we're on holiday let's be honest we love to eat food, we love to relax and enjoy ourselves. I do that every time I'm away. I love my food. Maybe I enjoyed myself a little bit too much and ate a bit too much cheesecake.”.
After leaving the villa with model Maura, who is now dating Strictly Come Dancing’s Pete Wicks, Curtis became the first Love Islander to land a deal with Weight Watchers and went on to lose 21lbs. Curtis is now returning to the show with a new outlook - and a bold new look. The star has shaved his hair, ramped up his skincare routine ('I'm using an enzyme cleanser and splash of retinol') and is proudly showing off the results of hours spent in the gym and dancing on stage as part of a recent tour with older brother AJ Pritchard, former Strictly professional.
