James Corden gets emotional talking about health journey: 'There’s something in society that says if you’re a man then you don’t care what you look like'

James Corden is opening up about his transformative weight loss through WW (formerly Weight Watchers), which began in January 2021.

After nearly a year on the program, the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden revealed last month that he’s down 28 pounds.

Now, the funnyman is sharing how his weight-loss journey has changed his life — and why it's important for men to talk about their health — in a new interview with CBS This Morning.

“In my life I’ve been embarrassed to say to people, ‘Oh I’m on a diet’ or ‘No, I’m not gonna have a drink today’ or ‘No, I’m not gonna have fries. I’ll have a salad,’” Corden told co-host Gayle King. “There’s something in society that says if you’re a man then you don’t care what you look like.”

He added: "I felt like I'd never really seen a man talk about it, so why not I talk about it?"

Corden also shared that it's been hard for him to lose weight in the past. “I’ve struggled with my weight basically my entire life," he said, "and at one point, what happens when you’re big is you go, 'Well, this is who I am' and 'I’m big' and 'I’ll be big forever' and 'I’ll be the first person to make a joke when I entire the room. I’ll make those jokes about myself so no one else can.'”

Despite the progress he has made toward his goal to reach a healthier weight, the comedian says he’s still not ready to say that the plan worked, but rather “it’s working.” Rather than following a temporary diet, Corden realized that it's about maintaining healthy eating habits for the long term.

“I think that’s the biggest thing that I realized these past 12 months moving forward, is like, oh, you can’t 'go on a diet.' That’s not what it's about,” he said, adding: “If you go on a diet there’s the very notion of going, Well one day I will come off this diet. And it’s not about that. It’s about not starving yourself of anything.”

Corden revealed that he's done “every diet under the sun,” telling King: “I’ve done them all: one shake in the morning and one shake in the evening, cabbage soup, everything. I’ve done it all. And they work in the short term, and then if anything I’ve always put on more weight after that.”

This time, however, Corden says the WW plan has not only helped him change his relationship with food but also his life, adding that he feels better and has more energy.

“I've still got a long way to go before I get to a weight I would like to be, but it’s kind of reassuring knowing that you’re doing something that’s working," he said, "that if I do this, then it will work." He added: "I’ve never felt like I'm on a diet.”

Last month, Corden opened up to People about navigating what he referred to as a “new way of life” when it comes to understanding his health.

"What's working for me is realizing this isn't a temporary solution, this is a new way of life," he said during the holidays. "This time of year has traditionally been a struggle for me when it comes to healthy living but I'm entering the holiday season more confident than ever. It's my favorite time of year, and it's so liberating to know that I can still enjoy the foods I love most and never deprive myself."

Corden joked: “I love that my clothes fit better, but I just love ice cream a little bit more than that."

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