Brisbane radio host Kip Wightman opens Up about lifelong body image struggles

Brisbane radio host, Kip Wightman has bared his soul in a touching on-air conversation about a decades-long battle with body image.

97.3FM breakfast host Kip Wightman. Picture: Tara Croser.

• ‘Worst year of my life’

Brisbane radio host Kip Wightman has opened up on his struggles with body image and self-esteem that he has faced since he was eight in an emotional on-air conversation.

Wightman, a well-known personality on the airwaves, opened up about his weight issues and his past experiences during a poignant chat with his KIIS 97.3 co-host Robin Bailey.

The conversation took a deeply personal turn when Wightman disclosed that the root of his body image issues traced back to a single remark from his grandmother about his eating habits when he was just eight years old.

“I don’t want to put it all on my grandma, but I think my grandma said something – she was talking about what I was eating and it sort of kept going ‘you shouldn’t have that’, ‘you should be running’” he revealed.

Kip Wightman with son Rafael. Picture: Annette Dew

The comment spurred a lifetime of self-perceived weight struggles, shaping him into a self-described ‘fat kid’ even as he tried running laps in an attempt to lose weight.

“The mentality just stuck, forever,” Wightman confessed.

“I tried to exercise more, I remember trying to do laps after school and things like that, just trying to do whatever, but never getting the results.”

He spoke fondly of his mother, who tried to offer comfort in the form of food. Yet, every comforting meal served with love only amplified his guilt, pushing him deeper into a negative self-image that has lingered for the past 30 years.

“Mum is one of those comfort mums that when you’re feeling down, she just gives you more food, she makes you a lasagne,” he said.

His co-host Robin added, “And then you feel that guilt because your mum’s showing you that she loves you and then you eat it, but then you feel terrible about yourself in that situation.”

Despite all this, Wightman made a surprising revelation – he was not as large as he had believed himself to be during his childhood. The reality distortion stemmed from his comparison to his naturally thin siblings, further exacerbating his ‘fat kid’ mentality.

“My sister and my brother were both thin, just naturally. So we would eat the same dinner and stuff and sit there thinking ‘why am I the fat kid here?’” he said.

KISS 97.3FM breakfast host Kip Wightman. Picture: Tara Croser.

Referring to a childhood photograph, Wightman added, “And actually my mum showed a photo of me from Bray Park primary, I look at myself now and go ‘You weren’t fat? What’s wrong with you?’ but in my mind, I was.”

As Wightman embarks on this new journey to return to the gym and attain a healthier weight, in hopes to extend his lifespan for his three-year-old son, Rafael, 3, he wants to hold himself accountable.

“I just want to get to a healthy weight and feel good about myself,” he said emotionally,

“And also feel like I’m going to live longer, which is something that’s really important to me since Rafi came along.”

Bailey, touched by Wightman’s honesty, offered her heartfelt support and emphasised the journey was all about Wightman’s self-perception and wellbeing rather than societal standards.

“I want to wrap my arms around you, I want to tell you that you’re amazing human being and we love you to bits but that’s kind of irrelevant. You’ve got to find it in yourself,” she said.