Paul Potts Opened Up About His Weight Loss Journey

Oct 25, 2021

Paul Potts is a professional singer from Bristol, England. He is a tenor and is best known for winning the first season of the “Britain’s Got Talent” competition show in 2007. Since then, he has released seven studio albums, including a soundtrack to his own biographical film “One Chance.” The film shares the same title as Potts’ debut album, which was released the same year he won the popular televised talent competition.

Pott’s musical style can be described as operatic pop. He actually performed in amateur opera companies from 1999 to 2003, before giving up on his singing career and pursuing work elsewhere. He was a city council member in Bristol from 1996 to 2003 and was the youngest person to ever hold the position.

Potts met his wife, Julie-Ann Potts, in an online chat room back in 2001, and the couple was married in 2003. That year was life-changing for Potts for many reasons. The joy of his new marriage was nearly overshadowed by medical problems and a devastating bicycle accident that left him with a broken collar bone. This resulted in Potts putting his singing career on hold while he healed and found work to cover expenses. 

When Potts first appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent," he was underestimated due to his appearance. Potts didn’t exactly look like a typical pop star. His teeth were crooked, and he struggled with controlling his weight. He later revealed that he had even been bullied in the past. Read on to learn more about Potts' weight loss journey.

Potts has a humble background and was born in Kingswood, Bristol, on Oct. 13, 1970. He was born to Roland and Yvonne Potts, a bus driver and sales cashier, respectively. He is one of four children with one sister and two brothers.

After attending St. Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Potts discovered his passion for singing. This is where he developed his talent when he was a young man, as well as at Chester Park Junior School where he performed in the choir. During the time that he was bullied in school, Potts found solace in singing, and with that escape, was able to overcome the hardship. 

CNN had the chance to speak with Potts about his experience with bullying. They asked if he had heard from any of his past bullies after winning the competition. “I've had contact with one or two. I had somebody send me a message through a Web site asking for forgiveness. And my reply to them was, ‘There's nothing to forgive. It's in the past,’” Potts answered.

After graduating in 1987, Potts went on to find work at Tesco and Waitrose. He worked various jobs while he put himself through university and graduated from University College Plymouth St Mark & St John with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities in 1993. In 1996, Potts was elected city council member and represented Eastville ward of Bristol city until 2003, when he resigned due to medical issues.

While receiving medical assistance due to a burst appendix, doctors were able to find an adrenal tumor that they wished to remove surgically. It was following that ordeal that Potts was in a bicycle accident. He ended up breaking his collarbone and suffering whiplash. 

Potts spoke with BBC Wales about the incident. "It meant for a couple of years, instead of thinking about singing, I was lying on the sofa in agony. Now when I go on stage my wife Julie doesn't want people to say break a leg, because I probably will,” he said.

Potts’ first professional experience as a singer came in 1999 when he performed minor roles in Bath Opera’s performance of Puccini’s “Turandot.” He then went on to perform leading roles in four productions for the amateur company. He played Don Basilio in Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” in 2000, Don Carlos in Verdi’s “Don Carlos” in 2001, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in 2003 and Radames in Verdi’s “Aida” also in 2003. 

When asked about the experience, Potts was a bit defensive due to rumors that he was paid to perform, and his “Everyman” image was just for show. "I have never worked as a professional singer, I have poured everything I could earn into a few lessons, but everyone taking part in this television show has had some training. My four performances with Bath Opera a few years back were all amateur. I am angry about this because I have never earned anything, although I did get petrol expenses a couple of times," he told BBC Wales. 

Potts also spent time in northern Italy taking lessons and performing as a soloist. In addition to his work with Bath Opera, Potts portrayed the role of the Chevalier des Grieux in Puccini's “Manon Lescaut” in a production by Southgate Opera Company. This occurred in 2003, right after he underwent his tumor surgery. Potts would give up singing shortly thereafter.

Before auditioning for “Britain’s Got Talent” and embarking on a life-changing journey, Potts was a simple cell phone salesman. He lived in Wales at the time and almost didn’t apply to be on the show. To decide if he should apply, Potts flipped a coin and left the choice up to fate.

“Yeah, I decided if it landed on heads then I'd apply for the show, if it landed on tails then I'd cancel the application I'd prepared. I couldn't decide if I was good enough ... I knew that I didn't look like somebody who'd stand a remote chance of getting through. And I wondered if I was too old. And so I flipped a coin for that decision,” he told CNN. 

Potts’ good luck did not stop there. He made it through the stress-inducing audition process, shocking the judges with his incredible talent as he performed Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma.” Potts was very nervous, to say the least. "I'm not really sure what made me walk on the stage in the end. It did feel like I was walking under my own motion, especially going out in front of Simon Cowell. I've always respected him for his honesty. I just didn't want to be on the receiving end of it," he shared in the same interview. 

Potts quickly became a favorite contestant on the show, and with his performance of Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye” during the semi-finale, he received the highest public vote in the show. He ended up winning the competition with another rendition of “Nessun Dorma," which earned him the highest percentage of 2 million votes. 

Life after “Britain’s Got Talent” was very different for Potts. He ended up quitting his job as a salesman and focused entirely on singing. His dream had finally come true and only became more surreal after he got the chance to perform for Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Performance on Dec. 3, 2007. He was signed to Simon Cowell’s record label, Syco Entertainment, shortly after that. 

Potts has released seven studio albums, all with varying amounts of operatic influence. He spoke with CNN about the unique style of his 2010 album “Cinema Paradiso.” He said, “I think it's slightly more classical than the first one but I think it's still approachable. I think, in the end, music is music. I'm not too precious about divisions in music. I think there's no issue with taking an iconic rock song like "Whiter Shade of Pale" ... and turning it into something a bit more classical.”

Potts had clearly found his own musical style and made a name for himself as one of Britain’s top performers. He went on to make a number of television appearances in America, including performing on the popular morning series “Today,” as well as “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” In 2019, Potts returned to reality television in the series “America’s Got Talent: The Champions.” He did well in the competition at first and made it to the final 12 contestants but was voted out before reaching the top five. 

In 2013, a biographical film was made about Potts’ life and career. James Corden plays the character of Potts, and the film also features the hosts of “Britain’s Got Talent” playing themselves. It opened to a range of mixed and positive reviews, with many critics stating that the film was predictable but still agreeable, according to Rotten Tomatoes. 

Corden had to undergo serious work to prepare for the role of Potts. A source told the Irish Examiner, "James spent six hours in the dentist's chair at Ealing Studios with an army of people chipping in. The full make-up and wardrobe team had a say, with the director, producers and exec producers offering their thoughts.”

They continued, "It's such a key part of the project to get right. Paul Potts is a distinctive-looking bloke, and his face is so well known in the UK, they have to get it spot on." Corden’s transformation paid off, and he excelled in the role. 

Beyond his crooked teeth, Potts has also been criticized for his weight. In a personal essay for the Mirror in 2013, Potts spoke to his weight loss journey, which began in 2002 with the adrenal tumor the doctors found. 

"My weight yo-yoed during my 20s but going to the gym and following Weight Watchers meant I was able to lose 3st (42 pounds) in two months quite easily — but that all changed in December 2002," Potts wrote.

On top of a burst appendix, Potts also had a tumor that doctors removed after a seven-hour surgery in March 2003.

"Six months later, I was given the all clear and doctors told me my tumour was benign but unusual. They diagnosed it as Cushing’s disease and one of the effects is that it gives you a round face," Potts explained.

But "fate," as Potts put it, wasn't done with him. After his surgery, he had his bike accident, which meant that he had to spend "a month on the sofa," which isn't exactly conducive to weight loss.

"I managed to lose some of the weight I’d gained by the time I started working at Carphone Warehouse in 2004 but the job there was much less physical than my previous job at Tesco, so the weight went back on and now — although I’m aware that I weigh too much and that there is a history of heart disease and diabetes in my family — I don’t weigh myself," Potts wrote.

Instead of weighing himself, Potts wrote that he keeps his weight in check by how his clothes fit.

"If they feel tight, I need to lose weight. If they feel slack, I’m doing OK but need to try harder," Potts explained.

Since then, Paul also had his teeth fixed, as he explained in a 2009 interview with CNN.

Many people have made comparisons between Potts and Susan Boyle, as both are spectacular vocal talents who have also been criticized for their appearance.

Potts said, “I think she should be allowed to change anything she wants. I don't think she should be forced to, but I don't think she should be forced to remain as she was either. … you have to live with yourself for much longer than the attention that can be on you.” Potts was concerned Boyle would be pressured by the public to change.

When asked if he felt that he was expected to change his appearance after becoming famous, he responded, “I've had people say, ‘Well, why didn't you leave your teeth as they were?’ Well, I think I'd have felt like a bit of a freak show if I'd have kept my teeth the way they were ... Even though I was happy I couldn't show it as much as I wanted to because I was ashamed of my teeth.”

Potts has made it clear that he does not want fame to change him, even though he changed his smile. “I don't think I'll ever be that Hollywood person. I'm not going to change who I am. I want to remain an Everyman," he said.

Potts has maintained a positive outlook on life and tried to spread that message around. He told CNN, “I think if you allow negative parts of your life to take over your future then it's like … The dark side wins. So it's important to remain positive about the present and the future and just leave as much of the past behind as possible."

What do you think of Potts’ battle to control his weight? Did you ever watch him on “Britain's Got Talent”? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family.