Olly Murs, the 40-year-old English singer and television presenter from Essex, has recently expressed his frustration over the scrutiny of his body. Murs shot to stardom after appearing on the talent contest X Factor. Since then, he has paved the way to a successful music career being the artist behind hits such as “Troublemaker,” “Dance With Me Tonight,” and “Up.” He’s been acting as telecoms industry X Factor presenter. This latest move makes him even more of a fixture in the entertainment industry.
Earlier this week, Murs took to Instagram to post a screenshot of a Daily Mail feature. The post celebrated his jaw-dropping evolution from “huggable dad bod” to ripped marvel. That innocuous article opened the floodgates to vitriol from social media users and newspaper columnists—almost all of whom were men—about his personal appearance. Yet, as Murs would put it, this kind of scrutiny is “absolutely madness” and “disappointing.”
In a refreshingly honest post on Instagram, he opened up about all of the media frenzy erupting over his remarkable transformation.
“I wouldn’t normally comment on stuff like this but from what I’ve seen I just want to say that this journey at the start of the year was for many personal reasons and not one of them was to spark a debate and divide opinions.” – Olly Murs
He made the point that his motivation for getting fit came from within. It was never about living up to public outrage or starting a national conversation on body image.
Murs was in Dublin on Tuesday, as apart from talk concerning the singer’s body, it has been an extremely busy week for him. He remains focused on his music career and personal well-being, urging the public to reconsider how they discuss and critique body image.
“So it’s very disappointing to see this kind of reporting!” – Olly Murs
Yet his remarks show what’s becoming an agenda-setting concern among politicians. Yet they are coming under greater and greater fire from media narratives and the court of public opinion. As Murs navigates this scrutiny, he aims to promote a more positive dialogue around body acceptance and personal health choices.
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