He was the bumbling, floppy-haired romantic who set female hearts fluttering in the comedy Four Weddings And A Funeral.
But when Hugh Grant, 55, waded into the sea on holiday in Marbella this week, it was more a case of four bellies and a pair of man boobs. His once buff physique — which was still holding up pretty well a decade ago — looked flabby and pasty.
His face looked lined and jowly, while his choice of beachwear would be better suited to the school gym.
So what has happened to make the Notting Hill star go downhill so dramatically? Is it the stress of his complicated love life or has he simply decided to surrender to the dreaded middle-aged spread?
We asked the experts where it all went wrong, and whether Hugh can ever regain his film-star looks...
What has happened to make the Notting Hill star go downhill so dramatically? Is it the stress of his complicated love life or has he simply decided to surrender to the dreaded middle-aged spread?
RELATED ARTICLES
'If he was bigger I still wouldn’t kick him out of bed':... 
Hugh's feeling the cold? Actor Grant, 55, can't hide his...
Share this article
ShareTHE PAUNCH
Hugh’s chaotic love life would put years on any man. He’s a father to four children — all aged under five — by two different women who were at one point pregnant simultaneously.
Hugh was on holiday in Marbella with on/off Swedish girlfriend Anna Eberstein, who is mother to his three-year-old son, John, and also a five-month-old daughter.
But he also has two other children: Tabitha, four, and Felix, three, with Chinese-born Tinglan Hong. Felix and John were born three months apart.
The link between stress, sleepless nights and weight gain has been long-established. Stress triggers the production of the hormone cortisol which, in turn, triggers appetite.
Oh no! The shirtless star - who donned just a pair of white swimming trunks for his beach excursion - was the picture of surprise at the chilly water, despite the warm weather in southern Spain
Also, Hugh probably doesn’t have the time to hit the gym as he did as a younger, child-free, cad about town.
In the past, whenever he has needed to get in shape for film roles, Hugh has turned to celebrity personal trainer James Duigan, whose other famous clients include Elle Macpherson and underpants model David Gandy.
Duigan is known for his ‘clean and lean’ technique, which promotes eating high-protein food in combination with high intensity workouts. Now looking decidedly more ‘grubby and tubby’, it’s safe to say that Hugh may have missed a few sessions of late.
‘This is a classic example of middle-aged spread,’ says cosmetic surgeon Alex Karidis.
It’s also reasonable to wonder whether Hugh might be falling prey to classic ‘Dad tum’ — tucking into the children’s treats in the evening while unwinding with a bottle of wine.
‘Sugar and alcohol consumption can lead to an increase in fat behind the muscle — fat known as visceral fat — which causes the stomach to stick out.
Unlike the fat on top of the muscle, known as subcutaneous fat, which surgeons can remove using liposuction, surgeons can’t do anything about visceral fat, it has to be tackled through strict diet and exercise — and lots of it.’
THE HAIR
When it comes to hairstyles, Hugh’s centre-parted floppy ‘do’ was his trademark. He hung onto it right up to his 40th birthday, before former girlfriend Liz Hurley persuaded him to go for a more fashionable (and grown up) crop. Hugh was unsure, but did as he was told.
He has always insisted he isn’t vain and ageing doesn’t bother him, but hair stylist Craig Pellowe, Advanced Director at Nicky Clarke Mayfair, thinks Hugh is colouring his hair... and badly.
And it’s not just greying, it’s thinning on top, too.
With sudden, dramatic life events — such as becoming a father of four in as many years — long linked to greying and hair loss, it’s a wonder Hugh isn’t bald as a coot.
Soaking up the sunshine: Hugh was spotted with girlfriend Anna Eberstein on a stroll through Marbella on Monday
He had a luxurious head of hair while dating heiress Jemima Goldsmith, between 2003 and 2007. And while no longer under the thumb of super-stylish (and super bossy) Ms Hurley, he is making a bad job of covering his greys, too.
‘When men start to go grey, they tend to go for all-over tint, which leaves all the hair the same colour,’ says Craig Pellowe. ‘It can look really false — it can actually look worse than leaving it totally grey. And when the roots grow out, it’s really obvious, which seems to be happening here.’
Pellowe recommends what he calls a comb-on colour, where specific sections of the hair are selectively coloured.
‘This will leave some grey, which looks much more natural.’
Craig also thinks that Hugh would benefit from a more age-appropriate cut. ‘When men Hugh’s age start to lose their hair, they have a tendency to keep it long where it’s thinner. That means it ends up looking wispy.
‘If he were my client, I’d be advising him to go shorter, keeping it much tighter round the back, sides and crown. It’s more flattering to the face shape, and makes the hair look thicker.’
THE MOOBS
Liz Hurley has always been known for her generous bustline — now her ex looks in danger of eclipsing her. The muscular pecs Hugh once loved to show off have gone and in their place comes a saggy set of moobs.
Unfortunately for Hugh, moobs and middle age can go hand-in-hand for some men who are genetically predisposed towards the condition. Known as gynaecomastia, the only solution is to surgically remove the fat.
The muscular pecs Hugh once loved to show off have gone and in their place comes a saggy set of moobs
Tom Frearson, of British Military Fitness, is a personal trainer based in London’s Hyde Park. He says: ‘As men age, their levels of testosterone drop and this can mean that oestrogen becomes more dominant leading, in some cases, to a development of breast tissue.’
But can anything be done to deflate them? ‘Strength exercises lead to the release of testosterone which can help rebalance things,’ says Tom.
‘If Hugh was my client, I’d also be recommending exercises to firm up the chest — press-ups, weight training, training using kettle bells [a type of weight].’
EYES AND FACE
For years, Hugh traded on his sparkling eyes, even starring in a movie called Mickey Blue Eyes. But in recent years the twinkles have been replaced by deep wrinkles and have become heavily hooded.
Cosmetic surgeon Alex Karidis believes that Hugh is paying a heavy price for his smoking habit — he has been spotted puffing away for years.
And you wouldn’t blame him for lighting up even more often lately.
For let’s face it, Hugh’s career hasn’t exactly been glittering in recent years.
He turned down the opportunity to revive his role as lothario Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones’s Baby — the third Bridget Jones film, which is being released at the end of the year. It was a puzzling decision from the actor considering that Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004 was his last big box office success.
Since then, he’s had a succession of flops: The Man From U.N.C.L.E., in which Hugh starred last year, cost £52 million to make, but made only £76 million.
Hugh’s 2014 film The Rewrite, about a washed-up screenwriter who becomes a teacher, took a pitiful £3.8 million at the box office.
Alex Karidis says: ‘We all succumb to gravity and skin has a tendency to slacken with age, but if you’re a smoker, that inevitably exacerbates the process.
‘Research in identical twins, where one smokes and the other doesn’t, shows you can look ten to 12 years older, purely through smoking.’
And it’s not just down to years of squinting through a cloud of smoke.
‘Cigarettes contain thousands of toxic substances which have an effect on all aspects of skin health, breaking down collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and youthful-looking, and making the skin thinner so the effects of gravity are exacerbated.’
SLACK MUSCLES
What’s happened to Hugh’s once bulging biceps? His sculpted shoulders and rock hard pecs?
Could too many takeaways be taking their toll? After all, Hugh still doesn’t officially live with either mother of his love children, so isn’t enjoying the home-cooked comforts of other men his age.
Trainer Tom Frearson says: ‘Men in their 50s just can’t carry on eating and drinking the way they did in their 20s and expect to look the same. Their metabolism has slowed down, so you need to do more to stay in the same place.
Slack muscles: Trainer Tom Frearson says: ‘Men in their 50s just can’t carry on eating and drinking the way they did in their 20s and expect to look the same'
‘The natural drop in testosterone that comes with age also leads to a loss of muscle tone, which can make them look fatter, even if they haven’t put on weight.’ According to Frearson, though, middle-age spread and loss of muscle tone isn’t just down to nature.
‘Lifestyle and diet also have a large part to play. Often men of this age have more disposable income than ever before, they are comfortable in their relationships and like to indulge.
‘We also often see the opposite — men whose relationships have broken down who turn to comfort food and drink.’
WRINKLY NECK
As well as looking uncomfortably sunburnt, Hugh’s neck could give a Christmas turkey a run for its money. Why does it look so scrawny?
Alex Karidis explains: ‘A muscle called the platysma sits underneath the skin, below the jaw going right to the collarbone.
Hugh’s neck could give a Christmas turkey a run for its money. Why does it look so scrawny?
‘When you tense up, this muscle contracts, forming what looks like cords beneath the skin. When you’re younger, this is less apparent, but as you get older, and the skin gets thinner, it is more obvious.’
A necklift is the only permanent solution available.
DAD TRUNKS
Nobody wants to see a paunchy middle-aged man in Speedos, but Hugh looked like he couldn’t even be bothered to pack a pair of swimming trunks for his Spanish holiday, instead just wading into the water in what looked like a pair of schoolboy’s gym shorts.
Perhaps what’s missing here is the sharp tongue of a good wife, who’d never hold back with her criticism of her husband’s dodgy dress sense.
Daily Mail Fashion Editor Dinah van Tulleken says: ‘Not only are they a serious fashion faux-pas but the combination of cold water and sheer fabric is a dangerous one.
‘These ill-fitting shorts (which desperately need lining — lining is very important!) are sitting dangerously low and drawing attention to that middle-aged tummy.
‘And they are as wide as they are long which is never flattering if you carry a few extra pounds.’
Hugh looked like he couldn’t even be bothered to pack a pair of swimming trunks for his Spanish holiday, instead just wading into the water in what looked like a pair of schoolboy’s gym shorts
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaJ6Voq6quI6aqa2hk6Gybn%2BVa2lxbmJklbazx2aqZqSRqbK0wIyfo6ioXah6tMDAq6menF2luaa607JkrKyZo7imvtJmnaitomKvprjLopysZaSqv7W4xGalnpubYq%2Bqs8aeqq1lnJrBbsXErWWhrJ2h