Takeaway called slimmer to check he was 'still alive'

A DRAG artist's local Chinese takeaway rang to check he was “still alive” after he lost 14st using Mounjaro injections.

- STEVEN SMITH

Jordan Bateman, 31, from Swansea, weighed 28st (177.8kg) in July 2024, standing at 5ft 9in, when he found himself “breathless” while performing as his alter ego, Ruby Slippers.

Now 14st (88.9kg) thanks to Mounjaro ~ a treatment he started privately through digital healthcare provider Numan, before the announcement that it would be available on the NHS.

He has transformed his life by cutting out motorway fast-food feasts, and working with a personal trainer.

He says he feels like he has added “20 years” to his life.

He said he has spent more than £3,000 on the medication since last August, but he now saves on food and no longer needs expensive bespoke costumes after dropping from a 4XL to a medium.

As an entertainment manager for a holiday park company who performs around the UK as a stand-in and also moonlights as a drag queen, Jordan says he feels more “confident’, but his dramatic lifestyle change was a cause for concern for his local takeaway.

“This is so embarrassing, my local Chinese actually phoned my house to see if I was still alive,’ Jordan told PA Real Life. “Before my weight-loss journey, I would be on the M4 after gigging all weekend and, on the drive home, I'd ring my local Chinese and say, ‘Can I have my order?’

“I wouldn’t even need to say what I wanted, it would already be there. I'd typically go for lemon chicken, seaweed, egg fried rice, chips, prawn crackers and duck spring rolls.”