James and Ola Jordan have revealed exclusively to Daily Mirror, how they were shamed into crash diets by photos of them letting it all hang out on holiday.
The married ex-Strictly professionals said they would not have been able to go on tour and perform their sexy dance moves next spring after piling on the pounds.
James, 39, spoke of his shock of seeing his overhanging belly and fat back.
The glamour couple have lost 32Ibs between them - Ola shedding 15 lbs and James 17 - in the three months that they have been on a Strictly diet using protein shakes.
Saying there was no way they would have been able to go on tour in that state, James adds: “It would have been an impossibility. I would be in my tight lycra pants with my belly hanging over.
“I had got overhang on my belly. That’s not an exaggeration."
Revealing after leaving Strictly Come Dancing he was 'over 15 stone' James says there was no way he could go on tour with that kind of weight, as it would slow him down.
“It’s like a runner. If you strap another 20kg to Mo Farrow, I guarantee you he won’t run as fast," he says. "It’s the same principle with dancing. You need to be able sustain yourself for two hours, so you can’t be carrying that weight around."
The dancing pro said that seeing the pictures 'gave them a wake up call'.
“I saw myself from angles I’d never looked at before. And I was, ‘I didn’t know I had a fat back?’ How often do you look at that part of your body. I was thinking, ‘Oh, my god’," he continued. "Everyone wants to look good. Why does someone who goes to an office feel the need to look great when they don’t really need to.
“We all want to look good. That’s why we go on diets.”
Ola says after seeing paparazzi shots of her on holiday in Skiathos on a remote beach in August, she was "disgusted in herself" at the unflattering shots.
“You don’t want unflattering pictures. When we saw the pictures we were both, like, whoa..." the 35-year-old said. "I got back from holiday and I couldn't fit in any of my dresses. Honestly. I was squeezing in - and thinking this has got to change."
It comes as the pair left Strictly, and the gruelling 10-hour training sessions that went with it - and with more free time, they're 'enjoying more wine and meals out with friends'.
James says he never worried about dieting while on the BBC show: “All the time I was on Strictly I could eat what I wanted. We burned so many calories. I used to have coffee with three sugars and I would have coffee a lot.”
Ola added: “I have always had to look at what I ate. I'm a person who has had to watch her figure. People used to say you ‘you look great in your cat suit’ but it’s not that easy.”
The sexy dancer did 10 seasons on Strictly, winning it with Chris Hollins in 2009, before quitting last year.
But she has always been dogged by trolls who have a go at her looks.
She said: “I put up when I went to a wedding on Instagram and every person - and I don’t think they are trying to be mean to me - are all asking if I’m pregnant.
“They’re saying, ‘Oh, I’m so excited for baby Jordan.
“But I’m like, ‘I’m not pregnant, I’m just bloated. I’ve had a big dinner. There’ no baby."
James added: “It’s quite hurtful. Deep down, it’s a bit of a dig. I would never say something like that to a lady.
“It’s brave to do it on Twitter. Some celebs get a real hard time. I feel sorry for them. It’s not nice.”
The gorgeous couple say their shaming came at the perfect time as they are knuckling down for their Uncensored tour which starts next March.
Ola & James Jordan are the new celebrity weight loss ambassadors for SlimFast UK. The couple have lost 32lbs on the SlimFast 3.2.1. Plan.
Visit Slimfast.co.uk or join the join the SlimFast Challenge UK Facebook group to find out more