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Neil 'Razor' Ruddock has continued to show off his incredible transformation following weight loss surgery as he ditches the booze and embarks on dry January.
The former footballer, 56, has lost nearly 10-stone as a result of life-saving gastric sleeve surgery in 2021 after doctors he had just three months to live following years of heavy drinking.
Neil showcased his slimmed down physique in a black sweater for an Alcohol Change UK campaign alongside ex-Wimbledon FC player Fraser Franks and football journalist Jay Motty.
Speaking about his relationship with alcohol Neil said: 'I think the toughest thing about the drinking culture in football when I was a young player, was that there was a lot of peer pressure, like the older players said 'right, Tuesday, you've got to come out [Drinking]'.
'Of course you wanted to be accepted, to be one of the lads. This was when I was 16, 17, the young apprentice that wanted to be among it with the older pros. So that's when I started drinking'.
He continued: 'If you said you weren't drinking back then you would have been an outcast. The dressing room is a powerful place, and can be a horrible place when it comes to the banter, so I don't think anyone would say no'.
Neil 'Razor' Ruddock, 56, has continued to show off his incredible transformation following weight loss surgery as he ditches the booze for dry January
The former footballer has lost nearly 10-stone as a result of life-saving gastric sleeve surgery in 2021 after doctors he had just three months to live following years of heavy drinking (left in 2019)
Neil said: 'I think the toughest thing about the drinking culture in football when I was a young player, was that there was a lot of peer pressure' (pictured 1998)
Neil confessed that it didn't matter if he was 'mad, bad, sad, or glad' because every emotion was an excuse to drink.
'Every time I've had a fight, fallen out with someone or got in any kind of trouble, drink has been involved. You might go out with the best intentions but after a couple of drinks you don't give a monkeys, and you mess up the next day even if you have something important planned or something you need to do'.
Neil, who played for Milwall, Liverpool and West Ham, explained that he finally 'calmed down' his alcohol intake after being left him terrified he was suffering from dementia.
'In the end the experts told me if I didn't stop drinking, I'd only have two months to live so that was a big shock. In the end, that was what made me sit up and look at my lifestyle. They fitted me with a pacemaker and I had a gastric sleeve, and I've now lost over nine stone just to save my life.
'That [health scare] was the biggest kick up the backside I could have had, I still drink now but I don't drink excessively, I don't go mad [with alcohol] because it nearly killed me. There's nothing better to me'.
With 15.5 million people in the UK set to take a break from booze this month, also running from 1st to 31st January is football's transfer window, while a raft of Premier League matches will kick off 2025. Uniting these two worlds, Alcohol Change UK has signed football legend Neil Ruddock's backing for the Dry January® challenge.
In 'Bossing the Booze with Razor, Motty and Franks', the three men discuss their personal experiences with alcohol, how drinking cultures are changing and the relationship between booze and the world of football.
Neil showcased his slimmed down physique in a black sweater for a Alcohol Change UK campaign alongside ex-Wimbledon FC player Fraser Franks and football journalist Jay Motty
He confessed that it didn't matter if he was 'mad, bad, sad, or glad' because every emotion was an excuse to drink (pictured 2020)
'In the end the experts told me if I didn't stop drinking, I'd only have two months to live so that was a big shock. In the end, that was what made me sit up and look at my lifestyle'.
Last year Neil Neil hit back at trolls who have accused him of 'cheating' on his weigh loss journey after undergoing surgery.
In a candid interview with Loaded, Neil recalled how his weight crept up to 28 stone with secret fast food binges and it wasn't until he went to see a specialist about his heart, that he had a worrying wake up call.
'The bigger I got, the lazier I became. I’ve spoken about what I call ‘mad, bad, sad, glad, disease. That's all the emotions you can have,' he said.
'Food and drink made me happy, so I used to eat and drink just to make myself happy and it spiralled well out of control. Not just my physical health, but mental health as well. And then I felt bit dizzy and went to see a specialist and it was my heart. I was told I had three months to live. And that was a big kick up the backside.'
At the time Razor, was down to 18.5 stone and explained it was his wife Leah who suggested a gastric sleeve which involves removing part of the stomach.
He said: 'I ended up having a pacemaker and the gastric sleeve to save my life. I’m 10 stone down now, but I still get the odd critic having a bash at me.
'People say, "Yeah, you've lost 10 stone, but you cheated. Yeah I cheated. I cheated death. For all the trolls out there, I cheated death. That's all I cheated. And it saved my life. All the trolls can F off. I had no choice.'
During the height of his weight battle, Neil would have two bacon and egg toasted sandwiches before raiding the fridge at 11am.
If his wife Leah had stocked the fridge with healthy treats, Neil would travel to KFC or McDonald's and secretly binge.
He confessed: 'I was secretly eating. I'd go out to work and she'd say, "What are you eating?" I'd say "I haven't eaten a lot". I was lying to the one that I love, the person in the world I love the most. If you're lying to them, you're lying to yourself.'
Neil recalled how his weight crept up to 28 stone with secret fast food binges and it wasn't until he went to see a specialist about his heart, that he had a worrying wake up call (pictured 2013)
Razor explained it was his wife Leah who suggested a gastric sleeve which involves removing part of the stomach
Speaking of how his diet has changed since the life-changing surgery, Neil said it now consists of fish, potatoes, bean burgers and vegetarian options
Neil said it was when he retired that his weight gain spiralled out of control after being on a diet for 30 years during his football career.
Speaking of how his diet has changed since the life-changing surgery, Neil said it now consists of fish, potatoes, bean burgers and vegetarian options.
He has also upped his exercise regime going from doing nothing at all to dog walks, hitting the gym and going swimming.
Neil said: 'I could lose more, but I feel comfortable. I've got arthritis in both knees, but I can't feel that now I’m smaller. Now I can get around, so I'm happy. And clothes fit me. The most frustrating thing about being overweight was that I couldn't buy any clothes.'
Elsewhere in the interview, Neil spoke about the importance of men speaking out for the sake of their mental health and how he wanted to be the host of an all male version of ITV's daytime show Loose Women.
'I managed to fight my way through it, but like I said, there’s nothing for men out there at all. That’s why we need Loose Men.
'Men need to keep each other on the straight and narrow. When I was overweight, I thought I looked alright.
'I see pictures of me now and I think I looked disgusting. But at the time, I was closed off and I couldn't understand the problem. I was in such a mentally strange place that appearance didn't even cross my mind.'
Join Razor and he millions of people taking a break from alcohol this January and double your chances of a completely alcohol-free Dry January® challenge with the Try Dry® app by Alcohol Change UK. Find out more and take part at dryjanuary.org.uk.
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