Tina Malone’s advice to Arg: ‘A gastric band can work… but it won’t instantly solve your issues’

Someone who knows all about struggling with yo-yo weight issues is actress Tina Malone. After years of desperately trying to take control of her size, she overhauled her life with the help of a gastric band. At 47, Tina was a size 26 after her “overeating had gotten out of control”.

But she lost an amazing 12st and slimmed down to a size 6 after having her gastric band fitted in 2010. Not only did she feel overjoyed with her new look, but Tina says the decision affected every other aspect of her life too.

Mum-of-two Tina, 58 – who had daughter Flame, now seven, aged 50 via IVF with toyboy husband Paul, 37, and has daughter Dannielle, 37, from a previous relationship – first met Arg in 2013 while working on celebrity diving show Splash alongside his close pal Joey Essex. She then worked with him on Celebs On The Farm in 2019, and now says she champions her friend’s decision to seriously consider getting a gastric band.

She says, “Arg is a lovely guy; he’s such a warm and friendly chap. But I could tell he didn’t like being overweight and it was really affecting him. We’ve seen him absolutely enormous and we’ve seen him look top dollar – and I know he doesn’t like the place he’s at now. The good news is he’s young, so he’s got time on his side. He can still address his issues and take control, and I really think a gastric band will help him do that.

“It worked for me. I’d tried every diet under the sun and healthy eating, but I just couldn’t keep the weight off. I got to the point where I was fed up of looking in the mirror and seeing a fat, ugly, sad woman. And honestly, the gastric band totally changed my life – and saved my life. It changed my habits to eat little and often, rather than gorging on big meals. I lost weight and became happier and healthier. I looked at the world differently, and I was able to have my daughter Flame. The world felt so much better. The only regret I have is not doing it sooner.”

Like Arg, Tina has also suffered substance abuse issues. She admitted in 2014 that she’d “dabbled in drugs”, but that alcohol was her substance of choice. She sought help for alcoholism in 1996 and has been sober for around twenty years after having cognitive behavioural therapy (a type of “talking” therapy) and joining Alcoholics Anonymous. In 2017, she was arrested and cautioned for possession of cocaine while performing in a pantomime – although she maintains the drugs had been planted on her.

But Tina – who had ten gruelling operations in two years to remove excess skin from her stomach, arms, face and breasts – now warns that while a gastric band can kick-start your life overhaul, it won’t instantly solve your issues and that you must work on your mindset, too.

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She says, “A gastric band isn’t an instant fix – you won’t wake up slim and happy. You have to address your issues too and why you indulge or go to excess. I was always doing everything to excess, whether that was sex, drink, drugs, cigarettes. I had cognitive behavioural therapy to help me as well as general therapy.

“With drink and drugs, you can abstain from them, but you can’t abstain from food – it’s everywhere. The gastric band definitely kick-started my weight loss and helped me on my way to changing my habits, but it had to come from what I’d learnt with CBT and my work on the inside, too. I would suggest that Arg gets some guidance to address his mental health alongside the gastric band.”

Tina adds that Arg needs to be patient and trust the process once he has his gastric band fitted, and that she thoroughly hopes he can get healthy and happy.

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“My advice to Arg would be to work with the band, work on your mindset and keep active. Exercise is great for the mind, plus he’ll feel more confident to work out the more he loses weight. He was very active on Celebs On The Farm so I don’t think that’ll be a problem for him. And be persistent – you might have some months where you lose a stone and one month where you lose 3st. Don’t be hard on yourself and be patient – we’re in a pandemic, too, and these times are tough.

“Arg is incredibly brave to be that honest and open about his issues. He’s admitted a lot of habits and his mental health struggles, and I think that’s great because the first step is admitting that to yourself and the world. I really hope he can get to a happy place where he feels great on the inside and the outside.”

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