James Argent says surgery to remove excess skin after 13-stone weight loss improved his love life

James Argent is finally feeling confident in the bedroom after having surgery to remove excess skin around his stomach after losing 13 stone.

The former TOWIE star, 35, told the Daily Mail his love life has improved with Italian girlfriend Stella Turian, 18, and he is now battling binge eating Believe in yourself again after years of struggling with body confidence.

After the results of his sleeve stomach surgery in 2021 showed his weight dropped from 27 stone to 14 stone, Arg was left with excess skin around his stomach, leading to more self-esteem issues to be addressed.

He admits to still wearing three-layer XL swim shorts pulled down to his navel to hide sagging skin, despite losing 13 stone and continuing to recover from drug and alcohol abuse for more than a year.

But now, following a tummy tuck, Arg says he's looking forward to summer for the first time in years as the results of his surgery and his promise to completely change his life finally come true.

James Argent finally feels confident in the bedroom after losing 13 stone and undergoing surgery to remove excess skin around his abdomen (January 2023)

The former TOWIE star told the Daily Mail his love life with girlfriend Stella Turian has improved as he believes in himself again after years of struggling with body confidence ( December 2022)

“I'm more confident in the bedroom now…whether it's romance, the beach or clothes, in general, I'm more confident in all of those areas now,” James said.

“Whether you're a man or a woman, or have that dream body from the outside, everyone has certain parts of their body that they wish could improve, or that they don't like, no matter who you are.

‘I have confidence in my body now. Don't get me wrong, I still want to improve myself and hit the gym and get fit, but when summer rolls around, I'm definitely going to be full of confidence.

The TV personality underwent sleeve stomach surgery in April 2021, but remains self-conscious about dressing and undressing due to the skin hanging around his belly.

In January, he returned to Transform Hospital Group, where he underwent his first surgery, a tummy tuck, which he describes as the “icing on the cake” of his body transformation.

Arg said: “I went from 27 stone to 14 stone, so I lost 13 stone…I'm at my target weight, but if I want to wear tight tops, I feel so conscious because I Excessive skin on the belly and sides.

“I know that for the skin, dieting or exercising is nothing I can do. I want to be naked or around the pool and still feel confident.

“Honestly, even though I've lost all this weight since my first surgery, I still wear double XL and triple XL swim shorts that I pull up above my navel. Whenever I'm in the pool or near the beach, I wear my swim shorts high up to hide the excess skin so no one can see it.

In January, James returned to Transform Hospital Group for gastric sleeve surgery for a tummy tuck, which he describes as the “icing on the cake” of his body transformation (July 2022)

Overcoming overeating, unhealthy eating, and drug and alcohol addictions, James has completely transformed his life and become a better person in recent years

“I don't want to have another surgery, I don't have any further surgery planned, it's not something I want to go back to, but I feel like I've had that major surgery and I've worked really hard so it's really the icing on the cake.

James and Stella have been together for more than eight months after meeting at a wedding in Mykonos last year.

They are in a long-distance relationship as Stella, who is 16 years younger than Arg, lives in her native Italy, while James lives in Buckhurst Hills, Essex.

But James said his girlfriend who lives overseas has only strengthened their bond and Stella is “proud” of all he has achieved after turning his life around.

He said: ‘We're really happy. Stella and I are very, very happy. Everything is going well and we are very close.

“Stella was incredible… she was such a special woman and we were so close and happy. It really worked. Everything was fine.

“Obviously, we were in a long-distance relationship, but we made it, every meeting was exciting and fun, we did some beautiful things, and when we weren't together we still kept in touch on a regular basis.” That's fine because We miss each other then, and when we do meet, it's always special.

“She was so proud of me and very supportive. The absence made a better heart and I’m happy.

James and girlfriend Stella (pictured) have been together for more than eight months after meeting at a wedding in Mykonos last year

James' relationship with Stella is his first since his on-off relationship with former TOWIE co-star Gemma Collins (pictured in November 2017)

James' relationship with Stella is his first since ending his on-off relationship with former TOWIE co-star Gemma Collins.

After finally moving on from the drama that has seen the former couple in and out for nearly a decade, James said he is now focusing on the present and trying not to put pressure on himself or his new relationship.

He added: “I don't worry too much. I think sometimes even in my career, sometimes I worry too much about the future, but right now I'm enjoying the present.

“I've been through a lot in my life, especially in the last few years, and now I'm really happy and I'm enjoying where I am.

‘I'm not overly worried about the future. I used to worry too much about the future, now I'm trying to live in the present.

With James' physical transformation, the TV star has been sober for over a year and is happier after shaking off her inner demons.

But James was careful not to become “complacent” and said he was constantly reminded of his worst days, which included two near-fatal overdoses at home.

He said: “I've been through a lot and it's taken me a lot of time to get to where I am now.

“I still struggle and get frustrated some days, but now, I have a means to use when I'm going through those tough times.

“For over a year I've been clean and sober, which is the most important thing. I've lost weight, I'm no longer overeating or overeating, and I'm surrounded by positive people doing positive things.

“I do feel happier and healthier, in the past I might have tried to get better physically and mentally for my girlfriend or work, but now I'm just doing it for myself and I feel good, I can't be too complacent .

“It can be dangerous if you start thinking everything is fine and I'm healed. Sometimes people say to me that I might not want to talk about the past, but it's important…it's easy to forget how bad things are. Remind yourself of things How bad it is, how far I've come, and that's fine.