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Gok Wan (born Ko-Hen Wan; : 溫國興;
: Wan1 gwok3 hing3; 9 September 1974[]) is an English , author and television presenter, perhaps best known for his
television programme .
Initially training in the performing arts at the , he then entered the fashion business, writing for popular fashion magazines and appearing on various television shows. In 2006,
employed him to present his own television show, , which lasted for three series. Moving into other genres, he presented a series of documentaries on social problems among young people, drawing on his personal experiences with obesity and homophobia.
Gok Wan was born Ko-Hen Wan in , England, to an English mother, Myra, and a Chinese father, John Tung Shing Wan, who was born in Hong Kong and
at age 16. He grew up in , Leicestershire, where he worked in his parents' restaurant. Wan stood out from his peers from a young age and endured bullying from other children due to the fact that he was , tall, overweight and .
During his teenage years he weighed as much as 21
(133 ), later commenting that he was "really fat". He was drawn to
with aspirations of becoming an actor, and after leaving
he began attending a course at the . Wan received a diploma from the college, then enrolled at the
and continued to study performing arts. However, the other students had backgrounds very different from his and he felt that his weight was beginning to dictate his life, later saying:
"[It affected] everything: my personality, how people reacted to me, what I wore, everything. When you sit down with someone who's 21 stone you have certain expectations of what they're like: stupid, lazy or really funny."
He felt restricted and unhappy and eventually dropped out of the course, returning to live with his family.
Wan set about
and at the age of 20 he began a , losing half his weight in several months. In his autobiography he includes a section from a calorie diary he kept at the time, revealing he survived for weeks on end on as little as fruit and honey. He also took up to 50
a day to prevent himself gaining weight from the little food he did consume. Wan reveals that during his diet he lacked e this, coupled with the stress of his course, sent him into . He states that he became
around this time – "I fantasised about killing myself – I could see no other way out...I concluded that suicide was the only option." Wan never did attempt to kill himself, stating a fear that he would be unsuccessful and the attempt would be regarded as "just another failing". Upon dropping out of his course and returning home, he confessed his feelings to his family, and was diagnosed as suffering from
by a doctor. Under the supervision of his family he began to eat more and slowly increased to a healthier weight. Despite the sudden change, he had no problem with having been overweight, later reflecting: "I don't regret having been fat at all. I know how to throw jokes at myself and I use humour before anything else, and those skills allow me to do the chatshows. So I'm thankful for that." He even lamented that, after losing weight, he had to try harder to attract attention, saying that his weight had, to an extent, defined him.
He has worked with many
including , , , , , , , , and . He has offered his opinions to magazines, becoming a fashion consultant, and his work has been published internationally in several magazines including , , Times Style, , , , Afisha Mir,
and . He has worked with photographers such as , Mike Owen and Jason Joyce. He has also worked as an "on-screen" fashion consultant on many television shows including: MTV Shakedown (),
(), Make Me a Grown Up (Channel 4/T4),
(Channel 4).
In 2006, he was approached by Channel 4 and asked to present his own fashion show, . In addition, he wrote a book to accompany the series, entitled How to Look Good Naked: Shop for Your Shape and Look Amazing!, that was published in April 2007. A second series was commissioned and was broadcast on Channel 4 in mid-2007. Along with the second series, he appeared on , in which he persuaded
to strip "naked". A third series was shown in early 2008. In mid-2008, he presented
which was broadcast on Channel 4.
He wrote a book titled How to Dress: Your Complete Style Guide for Every Occasion which was released by
on 1 October 2008. The book was praised by both
magazine and
for its sensitive and feel-good approach to a style guide. He also has a lingerie range at UK-based firm SimplyYours.
His next series , which he co-presented with , was broadcast in October and November 2008. The series attracted controversy after Wan denigrated semi-naked women, causing critics to question the motiv journalist
described it as "vulgarity masquerading as self-help".
Wan presented a documentary which was first broadcast on 27 January 2009, entitled Too Fat Too Young, which examined overweight children in the UK. He reflected on his experience of being obese to help several teenagers. In 2010, he joined the celebrity panel on Channel 4's TV Book Club.
In 2011, he presented a series entitled Gok's Clothes RoadShow on Channel 4, which was criticised for its gimmicks and similarities to Wan's previous shows. In 2012 he starred in a new series entitled Gok's Teens: The Naked Truth on Channel 4 where he gave advice to teenagers about self-confidence, bullying, anxiety and eating disorders.
In 2012 he presented a series entitled
on Channel 4. In autumn 2012[], Wan presented Baggage, which was broadcast on Channel 4.
In June 2014, Wan attended
for the first time as fashion presenter alongside racing presenter
Gok's Style Secrets, Channel 4 (2012)
Hotel GB, Channel 4 (2012)
Baggage, Channel 4 (2012)
Gok Cooks Chinese, Channel 4 (2012)
Made in China, Channel 4 (2012)
Gok's Teens: The Naked Truth, Channel 4 (2012)
Gok Wan: Too Fat Too Young, Channel 4 (2009)
Gok’s Clothes Roadshow (2 series), Channel 4 (2011)
Gok’s Fashion Fix (3 series), Channel 4 ()
How to Look Good Naked (6 series), Channel 4 ()
Sex and the City Premiere Special, Channel 4 (2010)
He currently resides in London. In 2009 he remarked that he had slept with "21 and a half" men in his life, and that he had also slept with women. In the same interview he also claimed that he had lost his virginity to another boy whilst they were both under the legal . His brother, Kwoklyn, is an accomplished
who teaches
in . He also has an older sister, Oilen, who is a child-care solicitor.
Wan has been involved in various charitable projects, supporting anti-bullying charities
and launching a National Glasses Day with
to encourage everyone to wear their spectacles with pride. As part of , Gok treated the actors of
's Underworld factory to a glamorous makeover. Gok also appeared in
in March 2009.
Wan has enjoyed
training with the , and episode 3 of
features them paddling together in
and eating
in Yiban Chinese restaurant.
. Ditch the Label. UK. 12 February 2013.
Freeman, Hadley (21 October 2008). . The Guardian. UK.
Nathan, Sarah (14 May 2007). . The Sun. UK.
Howden, Sarah (28 August 2008). . The Scotsman. UK.
. UK: Channel 4.
. . . 28 December 2009.
Heritage, Stuart (25 January 2011). . .
. Channel 4.
. Channel 4.
. Channel 4. 3 June 2014.
Cooke, Rachel (). . The Guardian.
. London Evening Standard. UK. 3 August 2009.
Jackson, Lesley (2011). . Martial Edge.
Abrams, Corrine (2 May 2008). . The Times. London.
. . 15 November 2008.
. Channel 4. 4 June 2012.
at Channel 4's
with BBC Leicester
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