Rafe Spall has revealed his weight loss meant girls “were interested in him in a way they had never been before” as he prepares to become a father again.
The 41-year-old actor revealed last month that he is expecting his first child with his Trying co-star Esther Smith after splitting from wife Elize du Toit, with whom he has three children, in 2021.
Now, Rafe has admitted that after being a “chubby kid” growing up, his weight ballooned to 100 stone and he “never really got his relationship with food under control”.
The actor added that he started getting more acting roles after losing weight and that it became “easier” to attract women’s attention.
Speaking on Kathy Burke’s podcast Where There’s A Will There’s A Wake, he said: ‘I’ve never gotten over my relationship with food. And with food. I was a chubby kid when I was 19, I weighed about 20 stone. I lost weight and it’s something I never really noticed.
Rafe Spall (who left last month) has revealed that his weight loss (right back in 2005 before he slimmed down) meant girls “were interested in him like never before”.
The actor revealed last month that he is expecting his first child with his Trying co-star Esther Smith after separating from his wife Elize du Toit, with whom he has three children, in 2021.
‘I have never achieved balance in my diet and my relationship with food and I don’t see how I will ever achieve it.
“I love food so much that I go through periods where I’m completely restrictive when it comes to eating. I had to do a movie where I took my shirt off, so I basically starve myself for six months and work out every day.
“And then I finish that and I’m like, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to eat whatever I want.’ So I’m up and down, up and down. I just… food is a wonderful part of my life and I love it. I have a lot of guilt about it.
And constantly worrying about it. I wish I would have addressed that. Something happens when you lose a lot of weight. People tell you, “You look amazing.” It’s like, “What was I like before that?”
‘I also lost a lot of weight, my career changed, I started getting leading roles and girls became interested in me in a way that hadn’t happened before.
‘I used to have to work really hard to get girls interested in me, but then it became a lot easier.
‘I was once out on a rowboat when I was 11, alone, and I saw some really attractive girls, about my age.
“They came paddling up to me and I thought, ‘What’s going on here? ’ They came up to me, one of them looked at me and said, ‘fatty,’ and paddled away. Terrible. If I could do it over again, I would make peace with that.”
Now, Rafe has admitted that after being a “chubby kid” growing up, his weight ballooned to 100 stone and he “never really got his relationship with food under control”.
Rafe and Esther appeared on Tuesday’s Lorraine to promote the fourth season of the Apple TV+ comedy, with Esther saying, “I have a little bump.”
Rafe also revealed that his father Timothy, who also showed off his impressive weight loss, lost weight by quitting alcohol.
He said: “He still enjoys meat. He’s not a big meat eater, but he’s very slim. That’s because he gave up alcohol.”
“He looks wonderful. He’s my father, but I don’t remember how brilliant he is. He’s the best you can be.”
Last month, Rafe revealed that he and co-star Ester are expecting their first child together, announcing the happy news during an appearance on Lorraine.
The real-life couple went public with their romance in November 2022, after it was revealed that Rafe and former Hollyoaks star Elize du Toit, who have three children together, had split after 12 years.
In Trying, Rafe and Esther play couple Jason Ross and Nikki Newman who want to be parents but struggle to conceive a child.
When the host asked if the pregnancy could be included in a possible plot for a fifth season, Esther said: “We hope there will be another season.”
Rafe, who is the son of Harry Potter star Timothy Spall, added: “We don’t know yet.”
The couple admitted they can’t wait to welcome their son into the world and hope to start working on a fifth season afterward.
Esther said, ‘We’ll have a baby, and then maybe we’ll get on with it (‘Try’).’
Rafe added: “We are very excited.”
Rafe previously admitted that he loved filming the show because he got to spend time with Esther.
Rafe and Esther’s relationship was confirmed in November 2022 when they were photographed walking hand in hand while strolling through the streets of Notting Hill.
The actor married former Hollyoaks cast member Elize du Toit in 2010, but the couple split in 2021 after growing apart (Elize and Rafe pictured in 2017).
Rafe (right) is the son of film star Timothy Spall (left) (Timothy and Rafe pictured in December 2014)
Speaking in July 2022, he said: “I can hang out with Esther all day. We really get along. She’s my favourite person I’ve ever acted with.”
He also said: “People often comment on the chemistry we have. I’m really glad that people like it, but they won’t enjoy it as much as we do.”
Rafe married Elize before moving to the Cotswolds with her in 2019. They share children Lena, 11, Rex, 10, and another six-year-old son.
Rafe previously said he regretted not spending more time with his children, telling i newspaper: ‘Unfortunately I don’t have any other skills to trade for cash.
“This is all I have, so I have to go out and act to keep them alive.”
