Drag artist’s local Chinese takeaway calls to check he is ‘still alive’ after losing 14st with weight-loss jab Mounjaro

A drag artist’s local Chinese takeaway rang to check he was “still alive” after he lost 14 stone using the celebrity weight-loss jab Mounjaro.

Jordan Bateman, 31, from Swansea, weighed 28st (177.8kg) in July 2024, standing at 5ft 9in tall, when he found himself “breathless” while performing as his drag alter ego, Ruby Slippers.

Now 14st (88.9kg) thanks to Mounjaro – which he was prescribed privately by digital healthcare provider, Numan, before the announcement that it would be available on the NHS – Jordan has ditched motorway binges, is working with a personal trainer and says he feels like he has added “20 years” to his life.

He said he has spent more than £3,000 on the medication since last August, but he now saves on food and no longer needs expensive bespoke costumes after dropping from a 4XL to a medium.

As an entertainment manager for a leading holiday park who performs around the UK as a stand-in and also moonlights as a drag queen, Jordan is even now open to love for the first time in his adult life.

He said he feels more “confident” but his dramatic lifestyle change was a cause for concern for his local takeaway.

“This is so embarrassing, my local Chinese actually phoned my house to see if I was still alive,” Jordan told PA Real Life.

“Before my weight-loss journey, I would be on the M4 after gigging all weekend and, on the drive home, I’d ring my local Chinese and say, ‘Can I have my order?’

“I wouldn’t even need to say what I wanted, it would already be there.

“I’d typically go for lemon chicken, seaweed, egg fried rice, chips, prawn crackers and duck spring rolls.”

He added: “I could never eat any of that to that extent and that amount any more – in fact, I haven’t had a Chinese for a whole year now!”

Growing up in Swansea, Jordan was a “highly active” child, always singing, dancing or acting.

But after entering the entertainment industry aged 18, having studied performance and childcare at college, the demands of life on the road took a toll.

“There’s no kitchen when you’re on the road, so my diet became all about what I could get at service stations – Greggs, McDonald’s, that sort of thing,” he said.

“After a show, you’d go to the pub, then grab a pizza or a takeaway back at your digs.

“Everyone did it, so I didn’t really notice how much weight I was gaining.”

But in July 2024, while singing This Is The Moment from the musical Jekyll & Hyde during a performance as Ruby Slippers, something changed.

“I couldn’t get through the song, I couldn’t breathe, and I thought ‘This isn’t normal’,” said Jordan.

He said he visited his GP in July 2024 and was told he weighed 28st, which he said “shocked” him, despite already understanding he was overweight.

“I’d done fad diets before, I’d even been on Channel 4’s How To Lose Weight Well, but nothing stuck – this time I knew it had to be different,” he explained.

Jordan said he initially considered a gastric sleeve but did not want to feel restricted in terms of what he could eat and, upon his GP’s advice, opted for Mounjaro instead.

The NHS says Tirzepatide, also called Mounjaro, is a weekly injection that patients do themselves, making them feel fuller for longer and, therefore, less hungry.

It is advised that anyone taking the injection should eat a balanced, reduced-calorie diet and exercise regularly.

Starting in August 2024, Jordan increased his injection dose monthly, before eventually tapering down due to nausea, upon advice from Numan.

In total, Jordan estimates he has spent more than £3,000 on the medication but insists it has been “worth every penny”.

But he is keen to caution others that weight-loss jabs are not a shortcut.

“It’s a commitment – you mentally and physically have to change what you do for it to work,” he explained.

Jordan says his food shopping habits have “completely changed” from lots of “chocolate, crisps, lots of heavy carbs” with “no colour” to fresh fruit and veg.

He is also working with a personal trainer and following a nutrition plan as part of efforts to sustain his new lifestyle after he stops taking the medication when he reaches his weight goal of 12st (76.2kg).

He prepares his meals in advance, so that he does not have to resort to service station food while touring.

While he says Ruby’s character has always been “confident” and “larger than life” no matter his size, when performing as her lately, Jordan needs less of a break between sets and even does not mind “having (his) arms out” on stage.

Jordan can also be more active when entertaining kids at the holiday park – and has noticed children draw him differently now, no longer representing him as a “circle” but rather a typical “stick figure”.

Jordan, who is gay, says he has been single all of his adult life due to work commitments but now feels “empowered” to date for the first time after feeling “more confident” in his body.

His friends, family and colleagues have all been complimentary about what he has achieved – but he admits his mind has not yet caught up.

From not needing a plane seatbelt extender on a recent holiday to Tenerife, to having space between his stomach and the steering wheel when driving, the benefits of his transformation are manifold.

“I’ve still got a belly, however it’s not as rounded and not as ghastly to look at,” said Jordan.

“It was actually quite a relief to be able to walk around with confidence with my top off on holiday.

“Now I feel confident that I can walk into a theme park and go on to a rollercoaster and enjoy those weight-restricted activities without any kind of embarrassment.”

Jordan is grateful that he had that moment of struggling to perform, as it forced him to honestly evaluate his lifestyle.

He would encourage others to speak to their doctor if they are considering taking weight-loss medication.

“If I’d continued without a care in the world, I dread to think how heavy I would be now,” he said.

“I reckon in a year I’d have probably put another two stone or more on.

“I’ve probably added about 20 years on to my life expectancy – at 28 stone I was probably moments away from a heart attack or a stroke, and that for me is a massive life turnaround.”