‘He won’t let this second chance he’s been given go to waste’: James Argent looks happy and healthy as he enjoys a boys’ trip following life-saving gastric sleeve surgery
Earlier this month, he revealed he was struggling to keep water down and has been vomiting blood since undergoing gastric sleeve surgery.
Yet James Argent looked happy and healthy in an Instagram post over the weekend as he enjoyed a boys’ trips with his pals, including Jack Tweed.
Jack shared the post on Saturday which showed the pals beaming for the camera in the snap, captioned: ‘Gettin back to normal with a Brighton trip’.
Here come the boys: James Argent looked happy and healthy in an Instagram post over the weekend as he enjoyed a boys’ trips with his pals, including Jack Tweed
It is not known if the group stayed the night, which is currently allowed with lockdown restrictions but only with members of the same household or support bubble.
Although it may have been their first big trip for a while, the group were taking it easy, with a source telling The Sun that James was focusing on his health after his operation.
They explained: ‘Years ago James would have been caning it during a weekend away in Brighton. But that’s in the past.
‘He is determined to live the right way now and make sure this second chance he has been given doesn’t go to waste.’
Transformed: In 2015 (pictured left) the star was the slimmest he’d ever been after losing four stone, but had since seen his weight creep back up to 27 stone (pictured right in March)
James, who was discharged from Burcot Hall Hospital in Bromsgrove earlier this month, said he feared he would die during the 90 minute operation where 70% of his stomach was removed.
The former TOWIE star, whose weight crept up to 27 stone during the UK lockdowns due to junk food and takeaways, was told the £10,000 operation was ‘lifesaving’.
Detailing his ‘uncomfortable’ recovery, the singer explained that while he already knew that he wouldn’t be able to have solid food for six weeks, he has been struggling to keep water and paracetamol down.
The Jump star told The Sun: ‘It is quite scary when you’re just randomly being sick and you’re seeing lots of blood come up.
‘Just dealing with trapped wind is really uncomfortable. They encouraged me to keep burping to get wind out, but you can’t even fart.’
In the interview, Arg also touched on reconnecting with his childhood sweetheart Lydia Bright.
He added to the publication: ‘Me and Lydia are extremely close again — we have kept that low-key and behind closed doors. I’m very fond of Lydia. I’m lucky to have her in my life and for us to be such close friends.
Reconnected: James said he and ex long-term girlfriend Lydia Bright were now closer than ever again (pictured 2016)
‘Obviously she’s had a beautiful baby and she’s a single mother now. We were together years before Towie existed or before either of us were in the public eye. She’s a real friend and she and her mum have been an incredible support to me.’
James is also open to the possibility of finding love, insisting he is ‘completely single’ amid his on-off romance with Gemma Collins.
The Waltham Forest native also said he feels the surgery is a fresh start after his well-documented battle with an eating disorder and drug addiction – and is now setting his sights on swimming the English Channel.