Coronation Street actor Jack P Shepherd has openly spoken about his struggles with an eating disorder, mental health issues and the online hate he received because of his size.
Jack has struggled with his mental health since he started to lose hair. His thinning hair resulted in poor self esteem so the star began to consider hair transplant surgery in 2019.
He admitted that his confidence had taken a serious knock and that he had considered leaving the soap and ‘giving up acting’.
The 33-year-old actor shared before and after pictures on his Instagram and bravely wrote: “I decided to get it done as it was affecting my mental health, to the point where I considered giving up acting and not being in the public eye.”
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
He said that seeing his hair loss on screen also made up his mind: “I decided to have it done because my hair loss has really escalated in the last year, particularly at the front of my scalp.”
“I remember seeing myself on screen and thinking: ‘Oh my God, it is really falling out’.”
He continued: “One of my mates had a transplant and he looked so much better afterwards that I didn’t recognise him.”
“I was blown away by the improvement and he told me he wished he had done it earlier.”
(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)
“I thought if I am going to do it, I should act now so that I can get the benefits for longer. I want to get my hair back to what it was like before so that I can style it at the front any way that I like.”
“It would be great to be in a position to have an Elvis quiff and really have some fun with my hair.”
The change in his appearance gave the father of three a new lease of life, resulting in a boost of confidence and a confident return to the screen once more.
(Image: ITV)
Jack has grown up in the public eye having joined Coronation Street at the tender age of 12.
He has played David Platt, Gail Platt’s son, since he replaced actor Thomas Orson in 2000 and has remained a staple member of the Corrie cast ever since.
Cast and fans alike love Jack’s character but it seems as though some keyboard warriors can’t help but share their negative views online.
(Image: Unknown)
An online troll wrote a harsh comment about him on Twitter, saying: “He looks like someone who could do with a good feed.”
The Twitter user also wrote that he was ‘far too thin’ and he ‘doesn’t look great’.
Jack, who has played David for 22 years, took a stand against the harsh comments and replied: “I have an eating disorder. Thanks for being nice.”
Fans quickly came to defend the actor and one follower wrote: “Well done on speaking out, however you shouldn’t have to defend yourself. People are far too quick to judge, too fat, too thin, etc.”
(Image: MCPIX/REX/Shutterstock)
Another supportive stan spoke out against the body shaming bully: “Good for you, shame on them. You’re the funniest, best character on Coronation Street. Thought you should know that.”
Jack has won many awards for his performance as David, including a Best Young Actor award and Best Bad Boy award from The Inside Soap Awards.
Many love to hate his character but in real life Jack is a sweetheart and family man as a father to three children.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here .
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
