Former ‘American Idol’ winner Ruben Studdard will compete during Season 15 of ‘The Biggest Loser’ this fall.
It has been a decade since the ‘Velvet Teddy Bear’ won Season 2 of the Fox singing competition and now he faces a different type of challenge.
Studdard tipped the scales at 455 in 2006 and was able to lose 70 pounds after embarking on a vegetarian diet.
The 35-year-old hung with the lifestyle change until he and his wife Surata Zuri McCants got a divorce in 2012. Since then he has put back on the weight.
In a shocking admission, Ruben admits that his obesity hasn’t been a major source of concern, “I’ve never had an issue with my weight, but my family has a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart-related issues – things I didn’t have to deal with yet because I’m young. But I don’t want to be worried at 40, and if I don’t fix things now, I will be.”
The new season will premiere on Tuesday Oct. 8 at 8/7c on NBC, with a scaled back one hour time slot, on a new night, just before ‘The Voice.’
According to the network, “The tighter editing will move the show along better and will still include the challenges, weigh-ins and eliminations without the bloat.”
Photo: WENN