Gok Wan opens up about childhood as 'fat, gay, half-Chinese' boy
Television presenter Gok Wan has spoken out about his weight issues, depression and bullying as a child.
The fashion guru, best known for the Channel 4 programme How to Look Good Naked, described his childhood as a “fat, gay, half-Chinese” boy in a council estate in Leicester during an interview for The Sunday Times Magazine.
Gok was bullied at school for being overweight and homosexual, and he suffered from suicidal thoughts and anorexia during his teenage years.
His family lived in a caravan park when he was born before moving to a flat above the Chinese restaurant they ran.
“We had quite an unconventional family life because my parents ran a Chinese restaurant,” he said.
“My dad, John, was from China and he met mum after he moved here in the 1960s.
“They worked seven days a week in the restaurant. Eventually it became the focus of all of our lives.”
Gok accepted a place at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama after leaving school before taking his final exams, but dropped out of college on his first day.
He went on to become a stylist and make-up artist in London before getting his “big break” in 2006 with the first series of How to Look Good Naked.
