Real Bodies: 9 pics from actor Nick Hayes’ intimate Attitude shoot – as he recalls ‘shame’ over body image

The actor Nick Hayes has said his profession has “hugely impacted” his relationship with his body, making him “obsessed” with meeting “certain standards.” Appearing in the Real Bodies feature in the latest issue of Attitude – out now – Hayes opened up about both the positive and negative impacts.

“For my second acting job (my first on TV), when I was 19, I played a small regular role in Hollyoaks: In the City. I remember watching back close-ups and being horrified at how I looked, really hating myself. It was compounded by what I would read in online forums.

“I ended up getting surgery to improve my appearance, but now I see there was nothing wrong, and there was a deeper sense of self-loathing that stemmed from feelings of shame. I was trying to change the outside, hoping it might heal the inside.”

He told Attitude it’s important to have strong boundaries now in the age of social media. Hayes also said he’s made the decision to avoid cosmetic procedures. He affirmed: “I need my face to be truthful in my work, lines, and all.”

“I’d trained my body to have the character look a certain way”

Discussing how his relationship with his body has changed over the years Hayes also shared how he’s moved into a healthier mindset. “Working in my industry, I see how obsessed I was with looking a particular way to meet certain standards. But as I’ve aged, a new set of challenges has arisen: my body has started to change, which has forced me to let go of those obsessions.

“I’ve become more aware of my own mortality and realised the importance of self-care and nourishment, getting good rest and eating well, rather than breaking my body at the gym and not enjoying good food! I have to question who it’s for and make sure the motivation behind that kind of behaviour is healthy.”

And while he’s had a lot of personal growth, Hayes doubted whether he’d be up for the Real Bodies shoot had he not starred in the play Remembrance Monday where he spent much of the play in his underwear.

“I played Adam/Felicia in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on tour a few years ago, and there was a lot of skin on show. Although it wasn’t particularly comfortable, I’d trained my body to have the character look a certain way. Whereas in Remembrance Monday, the character reflected more how I look in real life, so it felt a lot more exposing, but good for me and my own feelings of self-acceptance. That was something I didn’t expect to get out of the job.”

Read the full feature in issue 360 of Attitude, available now.