Rafe Spall shed five-and-a-half stone (34.9 kilograms) on a crash diet after filmmakers bombarded him with offers to play fat men in movies.
The Shaun of the Dead star slimmed down dramatically after his waistline expanded so much he was only offered parts that suited his size.
Spall, who plays Anne Hathaway's comedian boyfriend in new drama One Day, tells Britain's Independent Magazine, "Because I was always a fat child, I got fatter and fatter and I ended up 18 stone and with a 40-inch waist.
"I was a young, fat actor for maybe two years and then I started getting sent parts for very fat people, and I thought I wanted to change this... I wanted the parts skinnier boys were playing."
Spall is back on the big screen this week in One Day, the adaptation of the David Nicholls novel.
The movie sees him play a boyfriend of central character Emma, played by Oscar nominated actress Anne Hathaway.
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