I’m A Celebrity 2021: Colin Fassnidge on veneers, TV industry pressure

Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge has opened up on the pressure to look good for television, revealing body shaming can be intense for men in the public eye.

Tough-talking celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge has admitted to having had work done.

Conceding the pressure of fame got to him in the early days as a judge on My Kitchen Rules, the 47-year-old took matters into his own hands and got veneers to fix his teeth.

“I always wanted to have nice teeth and not look like a f***ing boxer,” Fassnidge told Confidential.

Chef Colin Fassnidge before he got his teeth done.

“I had chipped front teeth and I just wanted to fix them. I had a lot of fillings so when I could eventually afford to go to a dentist, I fixed them up. It is quite a confidence boost.”

Fassnidge, who joined MKR as a judge until 2013, made the revelation about his teeth to campmates on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! in a broader discussion around body shaming.

He too admits to feeling pressure to look good for television.

“It is a bit confronting when people body shame you,” he said in a preview clip of the show.

Colin Fassnidge showing off his pearly whites. Pic: Lauren Gray

“There is a lot of pressure when you step on to this side (on camera) and you get judged. Sometimes you will feel a bit chubby going on and a sound guy is putting on the (microphone) belt and he’ll be, ‘oh you’ve put on a bit of weight will be like, ‘oh, you are fat today’. They will say it as a joke. I am 47 so I am all right, I can deal with it.”

Of his teeth, he told campmates: “I’ve got veneers. I hated my teeth my whole life and when I went into TV, I was getting caned. They were like, ‘look at his dirty teeth’. It was in my head then.”

Fassnidge grew up in Ireland before moving to Australia and becoming one of our top profile chefs.

With men, he said body shaming was more likely to be delivered as an “off hand joke” than a direct comment.

Colin Fassnidge with campmates Toni Pearen and Abbie Chatfield on Ten reality show, I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!

“I think anyone who is in the public eye, when you get comments made about you, it hits home,” he explained. “Eventually it does sink in and I think you shouldn’t be afraid to speak about it. I have got young daughters and the whole thing about weight and weight shaming is important to speak about.”

While he has had his teeth done, Fassnidge said he hadn’t considered any other surgical procedures.

“Even if I didn’t fix them (my teeth), I would still be all right. It is not the be all and end all of my world but it felt good,” he said. “I don’t think I’d ever get anything else done to my body. I like the old salt and pepper look.”

Originally published as I’m A Celebrity 2021: Colin Fassnidge on veneers, TV industry pressure