We apologize for the blurry picture you see of the boy on the left - but there's a good reason for it to be here. He was so ashamed of his appearance when he was younger that she wouldn't allow himself to be photographed, and so surreptitiously-taken shots like this one are all that he has to show for his early years. When he was at school, he was bullied by other boys, who suggested he was pregnant. That made him more miserable, and his weight peaked at 270 pounds.
Determined to do something about it, he started walking on a track near the school. As his body became used to that, he progressed to running. Each day he'd push himself to run farther than the day before - and the weight gradually came down. As it did, his confidence grew. By his mid-20s he'd lost over 100 pounds, and finally became brave enough to come out to his parents. Now, having kept the weight off for a full ten years, he's finally happy with who he is and how he looks.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.