Peter Kay: Comedian reveals 'shameful' moment he realised his binge eating was a problem as he sheds weight
Comedian Peter Kay has admitted that one “shameful” moment led him to realise his binge eating was a problem.
Peter, 52, is one of the biggest comedy stars in the country and is currently midway through a huge UK tour. The Better Late Than Never tour began in 2022 but has seen dates stretch into 2026 due to phenomenal demand.
After a lengthy hiatus from the stand-up stage, Peter has recently shocked fans with his drastically different appearance. The record-breaking stand-up comic had shed multiple stone, and revealed to Sara Cox during an In Conversation With... event that one “shameful” moment prompted the major lifestyle change.
When asked about if he had ever tried to lose weight during the event the Lowry Theatre in Salford, the Car Share and Phoenix Nights star replied: “Only for the first 48 years of my life. Yeah I had to, eventually, because you start thinking about your health and things like that, don't you? I tried everything. Good God in heaven. I mean, you go to flaming weight-loss groups and stuff like that. I joined Slimming World and WeightWatchers. I did all of them.”
He revealed that the real turning point came during a cinema trip with his wife Susan. According to The Sun, the pair were sitting through The Green Mile when Peter told his wife he was going to the toilet, but was in fact sneaking out to buy a hotdog from the vendor stand.
He said: “We were sitting there and I thought, I fancy a hotdog. So I said to Susan, ‘I’m going to the toilet’ and I nipped out, went down and bought a hotdog. I was doing really well with this diet, but I'm so bad with willpower. I had this hotdog and I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in, ironically, a framed poster for Babe.
“I thought, ‘look at you - what are you doing? You're doing really well on this diet, you should be ashamed of yourself.’ And I got it and threw it in the bin — and just as it was about to hit the binliner, I grabbed it and still ate it.”
During the event, Peter also revealed that his food habits stemmed back to his childhood, when his mum would bring him pies to school to eat for lunch. He also added that his mum used to hide the biscuits in their house, adding: “I knew where she’d hid them. I used to have me mates round for a brew and I’d reach inside the tumble drier and get a packet of digestives out, like it was normal.”
Peter is currently part-way through his Better Late Than Never Again tour, which is due to visit cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dublin, Leeds, and Belfast among many others from this autumn into 2026.