For nearly half his life, celebrity T-shirt designer and reality star Dhillan Bhardwaj struggled with his weight, hiding his body under baggy layers and swinging from one fad diet to another.
At his heaviest the 23-year-old, self-made millionaire, tipped the scales at 18 stone thanks to a toxic relationship with alcohol in which he'd drink up to 14 vodka lemonades on a night out.
The Long Eaton fashion designer, who founded Ratchet clothing when he was just 16, also admits he could not sleep away from home unless he drank a whole bottle of wine to himself before bed.
But now, as one of the few people in England to have kept their New Year resolution, Dhillan has completely overhauled his lifestyle and is now a tee-total vegan, who runs between 10k and 20k a day.
"I never thought I'd be that person Googling where the closest gym is when I'm staying away from home," says Dhillan, who is currently touring the country with Boyzone and Westlife having designed their new merchandise.
He believes a lot of his anxiety, and hence drinking, stemmed from a fear of being alone but now the motivational speaker says he can't get enough of his own company.
Dhillan says: "Since this 'New Me', if you want to call it that, I have been going to restaurants by myself, eating by myself and actually enjoying my own company."
Now weighing 14st 6lb, Dhillain, who lives with his family, all 21 one of them, still says he'd like to shift another 20lbs but is already happy with the 34-inch wait he is currently wearing.
"I'm down to my last belt notch, I can't believe it. I have trousers which were 38-inches from before. I never thought they were big at the time. I guess you just get used to what you see in the mirror," says Dhillan, who started his weight-loss journey 18 months ago, but ditched booze and became plant-based at the start of the year.
So dedicated is Dhillan, he's booked a health retreat holiday in May, and is now only taking on projects he knows he will enjoy.
He says: "My dad always said 'don't chase the penny, or don't chase the pound'. I used to stress myself out taking on everything. Now I try and make it fun."
