Throughout the 2010s, there was scarcely a verruca, cyst or skin condition on TV that hadn’t been examined by straight-talking, ultra-buff Dr Christian Jessen.
He rose to fame in the early 2000s after becoming one of the main doctors on Channel 4‘s Embarrassing Bodies, and went on to host dieting show Supersize vs. Superskinny.
The now 47-year-old quickly became TV’s go-to medic. Toned, tanned, and squeezed into the tightest of shirts, Dr Christian was loved by viewers for his straight-talking approach and diagnoses of even the most peculiar of ailments.
He went on to feature in a number of spin-off shows including Embarrassing Teenage Bodies and Embarrassing Bodies: Kids and Embarrassing Fat Bodies.
By 2013, Embarrassing Bodies had attracted international fame and Dr Christian ended up making an Australian version of the show and later even a children’s version.
But as the years rolled on, the doctor began to lose his Midas touch, and started attracted some criticism for participation in programmes that have since been branded ‘triggering’ and ‘exploitative’ by campaigners.
Since his departure from the nation’s screens, Dr Christian has continued to make headlines. The GP has been embroiled in a number of public disputes over the years, including being ordered to pay £125,000 to a politician in 2021 after making defamatory comments online.
Amid public rows, an outdated TV history and falling fame, FEMAIL takes a closer look at what happened to the TV doctor after his years of fame.
Throughout the 2010s, there was scarcely a verruca, cyst or skin condition on TV that hadn’t been examined by straight-talking and ultra-buff Dr. Christian Jessen (pictured on Twitter)
Since his departure from the nation’s screens, Dr Christian has continued to make headlines. The GP has been embroiled in a number of public disputes over the last years, including being ordered to pay £125,000 to a politician in 2021 after making defamatory comments online (pictured arriving at Belfast court 2021)
Having started life in Hammersmith in London in 1977, Christian went on to do his medical training at UCL – where he lived in the same halls of residence as members of Coldplay.
He then specialised in sexual health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, followed by stints working abroad in a number of countries in Africa with high levels of HIV.
After catching the attention of TV producers, Dr Christian was encouraged to use his expertise onscreen, and he began filming what would become highly successful Channel 4 shows.
Though he once described himself as ‘shy’, the doctor has landed himself in hot water on a number of occasions after voicing controversial opinions.
He previously told The Guardian that he had never intended to take on TV seriously, and remained a practising GP for many years while filming hit medical shows.
However, despite the success of his TV career in the 2010s, he’s since experienced some rocky times.
One of Dr Christian’s most watched shows, Supersize vs. Superskinny – which paired two individuals, one of whom ate to excess and another who under-ate – first arrived onscreen in 2008 and proved extremely popular.
But while it took off initially, later reviews branded the show ‘troubling’, with experts in eating disorders fearing it could have a negative impact on people who have issues with body image and food.
Dr Christian rose to fame in the early 2000s after becoming one of the main doctors on Channel 4 ‘s Embarrassing Bodies, and went on to host Supersize vs. Superskinny (pictured)
Amid public rows, an outdated TV history and falling fame, FEMAIL takes a look at what happened to the TV doctor and where he is currently (pictured presenting Embarrassing Bodies with Dr Dawn Harper in 2012)
After catching the attention of TV producers, Dr Christian was encouraged to use his expertise onscreen, and he began filming what would become highly successful Channel 4 shows
One of Dr Christian’s most watched shows, Supersize vs. Superskinny – which compared the impacts of severe eating on two individuals of opposing scales – first arrived onscreen in 2008 and proved extremely popular
He also added Undercover Doctor: Cure me I’m Gay, a documentary exploring ‘gay cures’ to his portfolio during the period of television notoriety
In 2012, NHS Chief Executive Susan Ringwood said: ‘We feel the time has long gone when such programmes serve any purpose’.
Speaking about the underweight people on the show, she said: ‘They are not diets gone wrong. They are deadly, not entertainment.’
Christian was also met with late-hostility over his other hit show, Embarrassing Bodies – also starring experts Dawn Harper and Pixie McKenna – after some complained that the show was ‘exploitative’, dubbing it a ‘freak show’. The Guardian branded it ‘voyeuristic, sensationalist, revolting’ at the time.
He also added Undercover Doctor: Cure Me I’m Gay, a documentary exploring ‘gay cures’ to his CV during his period of television notoriety.
Fans fell in love with Christian, not only for his bulging biceps and smouldering side smirk, but because he was active on Twitter, answering all manner of medical questions to those desperately seeking answers.
In 2014, The Guardian described him as having a: ‘…voracious Twitter audience who rely on him to answer (and always in capitals) such varied questions as ‘can HPV get in your eye and lead to cancer?’ (‘NOT THAT WE KNOW OF, NO’) to ‘will sticking my penis up the hoover (for pleasure) cause any damage to my genetils [sic]?’ (‘QUITE PROBABLY’).
Dr Christian’s relationship with the social media app isn’t quite the same now.
Though he once described himself as ‘shy’, the doctor has landed himself in hot water on a number of occasions after voicing controversial opinions
Dr Christian pictured on Embarrassing Bodies, which was popular in the early 2000s but has since been criticised
In 2021, the once beloved TV doctor made headlines after it was reported that he was facing bankruptcy following a libel case, in which he was ordered to pay £125,000 in damages to Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster, after falsely tweeting to his 300,000 followers that she was having an affair.
The judge, Mr Justice McAlinden said Dr Jessen’s tweet attacked Arlene’s ‘integrity at a most fundamental level’, saying it ‘trash[ed] in a very public fashion’ her most important relationship.
He added that the tweet was ‘grossly defamatory’ and left the politician with ‘grave upset, embarrassment and humiliation’.
Following the public dispute, the TV personality revealed that the case had left him struggling with his ‘mental health’ and with just £20,000 to his name.
And Dr Christian was further entrenched in scandal after he launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise £150,000 to cover his legal fees, claiming he was on the verge of ‘bankruptcy’.
‘Would you please retweet and support me via my GoFundMe page? I have put more details there and I’ll keep you updated. Big hugs C x’ he asked his followers.
In 2021, the beloved TV doctor made headlines after it was reported that he was facing bankruptcy following a libel case that ordered him to pay £125,000 in damages
Following the debacle, Dr Christian admitted he regretted the tweet and that the aftermath had taken a toll on his mental health, which he said was ‘cracking’.
‘Obviously, I deeply regret it, and if Arlene Foster says the claim in the tweet isn’t true, then I’m sorry for causing her any hurt.
‘But I don’t agree with the judgment. I’d been brutally honest about my mental health in court and the circumstances that led to the tweet, and for that to be dismissed is really concerning.
‘I couldn’t get together all my medical evidence of my depression. I have spent the last year living with my parents and not working due to the Covid pandemic and not having been in a fit mental state. It was just a stupid tweet.’
However, three months later, the doctor had scarcely raised £10,000 to fund the damages.
It’s not the first time Dr Christian has been involved in scandal. During the Covid pandemic, he came under fire after he suggested that that Italy – one of the countries hardest hit by the virus in Europe with 20,000 deaths – was using the disease as an excuse for a ‘long siesta’.
Speaking on FUBAR Radio’s Access All Areas in March 2020, Dr Christian said: ‘This might be a little bit racist to say this, [and] you’ll have to make apologies, but do you not think it’s a bit of an excuse?
‘The Italians, any old excuse to, you know, shut down everything and stop work for a bit and have a long siesta.
‘I think it’s an epidemic lived out more in the press than in reality. I mean if you think about flu right, without getting too heavy, flu kills thousands every single year,’ he added.
Following the scathing remarks, Italian footballer Ciro Immobile described the doctor as a ‘d***head’ and told him to ‘f*** off’.
Despite his alleged medical expertise, the TV doctor was accused of endorsing a website selling addictive medicines.
In 2019, The Times released a report which revealed Dr Christian was endorsing an online pharmacy that was found to be selling powerful opioids.
Online company UK Meds was found to have been prescribing highly addictive medication without consulting the customers’ GP first, the report claimed.
Speaking on FUBAR Radio’s Access All Areas in March 2020, Dr Christian accused Italians of using the Covid pandemic as an excuse for a ‘siesta’
BBC Panorama also revealed that the company had been hiring doctors through sister company EU General Practitioners in Romania to avoid regulator protocol, and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) found UK Meds have made a number of breaches of protocol.
A spokesman for Dr Jessen said at the time he had been used by the company to present short information videos and that he did not endorse specific products.
Since his last public scandal with Arlene Foster, Christian has largely kept out the spotlight. In 2022, E4 revealed the news that they were reviving Embarrassing Bodies, with the notable absence of the former TV superstar doc.
In 2021, the once beloved TV doctor made headlines after it was reported that he was facing bankruptcy following a libel case that ordered him to pay £125,000 in damages
But it seems Dr Christian does still have a career as a practising GP for private patients, as his website offers one on one appointments conducted over the phone.
Fans of the TV doctor can seek advice from Dr Christian himself, with 30 minute appointment slots available to book for £150 via his website.
Christian conducts appointments over Skype or FaceTime where he offers to ‘advise and guide you with your medical queries and problems’ as well as providing a ‘second opinion’ service.
According to his website, he also advises on ‘how to best to proceed with any chronic or ‘mystery’ illnesses.
These days, the TV star also contributes to Closer magazine, offering his medical expertise on a range of modern issues, including a piece he wrote earlier this year that gave advice on ‘how to improve your gut health’.
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