James Arthur defends himself against vile fat-shaming trolls after Soccer Aid appearance
James Arthur has been forced to defend himself after being cruelly fat-shamed by vile trolls after his appearance on Soccer Aid.
The 33-year-old begged his critics to “give us a break” as he explained his recent weight gain in lockdown.
The former X Factor singer volunteered his time to play in the celebrity charity match alongside Robbie Williams, Love Island’s Kem Cetinay and comic Lee Mack.
One horrible troll said: “James Arthur looking like the fat kid you put up forward to keep out the way and not cost you goals.”
Another sent him the message: “James Arthur has piled weight on.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Someone else chimed in to say: “James Arthur looks like he’s carrying a little lockdown weight for a centre forward.”
James responded to the cruel attacks by writing: “Cool to see ppl calling me fat on Twitter during socceraid. Giz a break!
“I had Covid not long ago was carrying a knee injury and a bit of lockdown timber but I still never gave the ball away once!
(Image: PA)
“I’m lookin skinny today coz I was starved of service!
“Relax it was for charity x.”
The charity match managed to raise more than £13 million in aid of Unicef with teams featuring a mix of celebrities and football icons.
James previously told of his mission to shed the weight after binging on cake and fake sausage sandwiches in lockdown.
(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The star told The Sun: “I have put on a fair bit of weight since the beginning of the lockdown because there’s nothing else to do but stuff my face.
“I’ve got a sweet tooth so it’s just cake really. I love cake.
“I’m pretty much a vegan so I’ve been having the fake meat — sausage sandwiches and stuff like that I’ve been digging into.
“I’ve set myself a goal to lose a bit of weight. It might sound extreme but I’m 6ft 3in and I weigh 17st so I’d like to drop a couple of stone if possible.”
