A SINGER reckons he has got his voice back after losing his chins thanks to fat jabs.
Del Mallion, 68, paid £200 a month for his shots and went from 16st 4lb to 14st 1lb in four months.
Del Mallion, 68, reckons he has got his voice back after losing his chins thanks to fat jabs (above after)[/caption]
Del Mallion, 68, went from 16st 4lb to 14st 1lb in just four months[/caption]
The singer paid £200 a month for his shots[/caption]
The cover band singer, of Wadhurst, East Sussex, says they give him energy and ease his apnoea and cholesterol.
He added: “My chins have gone and I’ve got my teenage voice back.
“It wasn’t a side effect I was expecting, but it’s without a doubt down to the weight loss – my chins have disappeared.
“You don’t realise what a difference having all that weight sitting around your vocal chords makes.
“Although someone pointed out to me that Pavarotti has got quite a lot of chins and he’s got a pretty good vocal range – but we must be built differently.”
Derek and his wife Polly, 56, decided to try out the jabs after noticing they were piling on the pounds.
The couple paid for the shots privately from a local pharmacy.
The 5’7” singer, who is two stone off his target weight, added: “I was so lethargic. I was falling asleep on the sofa all the time and any job became a chore.
“You can’t do this, you can’t do that – you can’t even cut your toenails.
“Now I’m actually looking for jobs to do…I’ve got my teenage energy and my mojo back.
“It really is strange, because I’ve lost weight before but it’s not affected me like this.
“Mounjaro seems to get you motivated.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.