BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Shayne Ward on three stone weight gain and nasty comments from trolls

The former X Factor and Coronation Street star was targeted online after putting on weight while acting on the ITV soap

Strictly Come Dancing star Shayne Ward once opened up about his changing body after becoming a father. The former X Factor and Coronation Street star revealed he had gained three stone during his time on the ITV soap playing Aidan Connor.

In 2017, he spoke about his noticeable weight gain since becoming a father on TV's Loose Women and appeared in a photo shoot promoting body confidence for men, along with several other celebrities. He read out nasty comments from online trolls who targeted his weight on the ITV show as part of the Body Stories campaign.

Live from the Coronation Street set, Shayne read out some of the worst tweets he had received, including: "Shayne Ward has the XXL factor" and "Shayne Ward is getting fat". He responded: "That's just called being content, happy and very much in love."

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While chatting to the panel, Shayne revealed that he's happier than ever with his weight. Referring to his X Factor win back in 2005, the star said: "I mean I was 21 when I won the X Factor and now I'm 32, so of course my body's going to change.

"I enjoy my food, and now that I'm a dad as well I have a more cuddly figure, and I'm quite happy about that for my little girl."

Shayne bravely stripped down to his underwear to promote body confidence as part of the campaign. Shayne is engaged to former Hollyoaks star Sophie Austin. Sophie, famed for her role as Lindsey Butterfield in the soap, started dating Shayne in 2016. The couple welcomed their first child, Willow May, the same year.

Their son Reign Thomas Austin Ward was born in 2022 and his birth was quite a surprise for the couple. They had originally been told they were expecting a baby girl, but were 'overjoyed' with the surprise that the baby was actually a boy when he was born.