Former England cricketer Ashley Giles has revealed his weight ballooned to about 20 stone (127kg) after he retired.
Giles, 53, played 54 Tests and 62 one-day internationals for England between 1997 and 2006, the highlight being his key role in 2005 when England reclaimed the Ashes from Australia for the first time in 18 years.
Since retiring, Giles has held several roles within the game, both as a coach and administrator. He is currently chief executive of Worcestershire County Cricket Club.
In 2025, Giles told BBC Test Match Special about his struggles with performance anxiety and depression as a player.
Now, in an exclusive broadcast interview with the BBC, external, he has opened up on his obesity and the stigma attached to it.
“If I look at my journey, my story, after retiring I have sort of been on a rollercoaster with my weight – and I would say for a majority of that time I have been obese,” said Giles.
“At times I have struggled – some of that is shame, blame. At the maximum I was 127/128 kilos, so that’s heavy.
“I think it’s something which creeps up on you over time and it’s something which to a degree you normalise – buying bigger clothes, trying a bigger wardrobe and trying to hide the way you look.
“The moment you lay off the extreme of diet and exercise the weight starts piling back on, and with it the fall in confidence.”