‘I struggle’: Guy Sebastian reveals ‘hard’ truth in shock tell-all

Guy Sebastian is one of Australia’s most famous faces, and voices. But in a candid conversation, the star has talked about his struggles.

It has taken him decades but Guy Sebastian thinks he’s finally found the solution to eating, and living, a healthy life.

Known as “the fat kid on (Australian) Idol”, the chart topping singer has spoken of his struggles with eating and maintaining a healthy weight.

“I’ve got this tattoo, ‘life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’, which is famous lyric, and I’m trying to do that more,” Sebastian tells the new podcast, Mental As Anyone with J.Mo, that launched today.

Guy Sebastian for The Voice Australia.

“As hard as it is, I’m trying not to worry about other plans and things that are in the future. It’ll work out, It’ll be fine. If I just put my head down, work hard, but I can’t do that and forget about the people who are right here right in front of me and the people that I truly love and simplify life. I think that’s the key.”

Sebastian won Australian Idol in 2003, famously beating Shannon Noll to the top spot on the then juggernaut reality singing show and securing a recording contract with Sony Music.

The 42-year-old father of two is arguably one of our top artists ever. He has topped the charts and represented Australia at Eurovision.

Behind the scenes, he has struggled with issues around body image and has bravely spoken about his insecurities. In 2017, he appeared on the cover of Australia’s Men’s Health magazine after an eight-week transformation.

Guy Sebastian wins Australian Idol in 2003. With runner-up Shannon Noll.

“I was the fat kid on Idol, I was called the fat kid. I didn’t think I was fat. I was just a bit chubby, but I … didn’t really have a massive gut or anything,” Sebastian said. “I was always fit and played heaps of sport. I haven’t had a very healthy attitude to my weight in the past.”

Guy Sebastian and wife Jules at the Sydney opening night of & Juliet at the Lyric Theatre. (Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images for & Juliet Australia)

He continued: “I would binge eat. With my approach to losing weight, I’d be pretty extreme and it just wasn’t a healthy way of sorting it out and I’d get nowhere … just fluctuating.”

Nothing was off limits in the Mental As Anyone podcast with Sebastian covering off a range of topics from faith to parenthood and music.

His track Choir was dedicated to musician and close friend, Luke Liang, who died following his battles with mental health while Sam Fischer collaboration, Antidote, is about music being a healer of all things.

“I struggle to take time off and just switch off without thinking I’m hurting what I do,” he said. “I think kids were just the healthiest thing that happened to me because it just made me put everything in perspective.”