James ‘Arg’ Argent was one of the biggest celebs in the UK.

And the Essex star’s addiction and craving for curry meals, chocolate bars, fizzy drinks and ice cream has left him dancing with death.

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But things couldn’t be more different for the former Towie legend two years later, after he shed 13 stone and revealed his new body in The Sun following gastric bypass surgery.

Bronzed, chiseled and sober, Arg is slimmer than ever in our exclusive photos and proudly poses for the camera – barely breaking a sweat as he knocks out 20 push-ups with his top off.

Four months post-op and he’s also covered in scars, with two below his hips from his lap band which will fade over time

And they are the only physical reminder left of his former 27 stone body.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Arg said: “The operation went amazingly.

“There’s actually still a bit of swelling, because I think the swelling goes down after, say, six months.

“And listen, I do have some scars, but I know they’ll fade. I think it’s pretty cool to have some little battle scars or battle wounds along the way.

“You never know, give it another six months and maybe I’ll be ready to get into some nice navy Speedos!”

The star – who rose to fame on Towie in 2013 – has almost a million followers on Instagram and gets thousands of likes per post, but incredibly, people do a double take when they see him.

Some think he is “Arg’s slimmer brother”.

Arg laughs and says: “They recognize me, and they know me. But they don’t clock it’s actually me and then they’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, you’ve lost so much weight!’

“It feels good when people say keep going or ‘well done’. And, ‘you look good’ and stuff like that. It always means a lot.”

Arg has not touched a drop of alcohol since suffering a terrifying relapse on a night out with pals 18 months ago, and paramedics were called to his home.

Now he’s traded fancy dinners for romantic dates and vacations with his beautiful new girlfriend Stella Turian, and spends his days boxing, swimming and traveling the country with The Arg Band.

The once troubled star has his priorities straight for the first time and is fiercely protective of Stella, who is younger at 19.

He explains: “I have a girlfriend and she lives in Italy. Yes, we are good. We are happy. But I just don’t really want to… if you don’t mind. The thing is with Stella, she’s not in the public eye.

“She is working really hard to achieve things in Italy at the moment. And for now, we’re just trying to keep it as private as possible. I have never posted Stella on my social media and stuff like that.

“We support each other a lot and we are very happy. And all is well.”

And his transformation has undoubtedly boosted his love life.

I feel good naked, I feel good around the beach, I feel good around the pool!

“I think in the next five years the most important thing is to be clean and sober. That’s number one,” he adds.

“Number two is to maintain my healthy lifestyle. Whether it’s a healthy, balanced diet and exercise. Number three is to be the best wedding singer I can possibly be and have the best functioning band.

“Yes, and maybe progress in my relationship.

“My weight is now perfect. I just want to be more toned, do more work around the back of the legs.

“Back in the day I had a bit of a man chest problem and now it’s not too bad, I still have a bit of work to do on my chest.

“Before, I was really self-conscious about excess skin and fat that I couldn’t shift, no matter how much I dieted or exercised.

“Since my surgery at the beginning of the year, I’ve been able to go on holiday with my girlfriend and my mum, and I have no hesitation about what I’m wearing and no longer panic at the prospect of taking my t-shirt off. off.”

It is worlds away from his life two years ago before his gastric sleeve surgery with Transform Hospital Group.

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Arg says he would end up in a lethargic slump on the couch after raiding the pantry first thing in the morning.

With an expression of disbelief, he recalls that he needed family to help him dress at his biggest.

“To be honest with you, when I was 27 I was wearing slides,” he says.

“I asked a lot of people to help me tie my shoelaces.”

Now he wakes up with a healthy dash of ginger, a small glass of fresh orange juice, and a bowl of porridge oats. And for lunch and dinner, he still enjoys all his favorite things, but he’s more thoughtful about them.

He says: “I don’t binge anymore. I also don’t eat small portions anymore.

“I’m still a big, big Indian lover. But I no longer have the poppadom, the naan breads or the bhajis all at once.”

But Arg appears to be showing symptoms of PTSD by reliving his past in his nightmares.

He says: “My lowest point was just when I hit rock bottom, and I was in a horrible place.

“You know, there were times, it was well documented, that I ended up in an ambulance and was taken to the hospital and things like that. But I’m far away from that now.

When asked if remembering those moments makes him afraid of a relapse, he says: “It’s really funny you say that because people get complacent when you forget how bad things were.

“But I’m pretty good now at remembering the bad times, and even it’s funny you said that because tonight I actually had my first kind of, like, a little bit of a nightmare where it’s a relapse was, but in a nightmare .

“And I remember, you know when it’s so vivid and so real. I even woke up and I was shaking.

“I woke up and it was like the best relief ever, knowing it was just a nightmare.

“I think it’s important to remember how bad things were to stop you from thinking, ‘Oh, was it that bad?’

“Because sometimes you have to be careful. Your brain can tell you like, ‘Oh, was it really that bad? Or, ‘it will be different this time, you can control it this time’

“I need to be reminded, it’s important for me to be reminded of how bad things were.”

He never had suicidal thoughts, but prayed for the nightmare to end.

He says: “There were definitely times when I was in the thick of it and was in a terrible place where I was done just the way I was. Even ask God to take me.

“I never wanted to take my own life.

“It was hard, even though there were times when I was so deep, I just didn’t know if I could possibly get out of it. But it’s good to know that not everyone has to end up in tragedy.

“You know, there are people who can really turn it around.”

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