It turned out his favourite takeaway missed him so much they phoned to make sure he was still alive.
Jordan Bateman revealed the story after he stopped ordering from the Chinese he’d always been a regular at.
The reason wasn’t sinister — the 31-year-old had started losing weight and simply could not face his usual takeaway feasts.
With support from the GLP-1 drug Mounjaro, Jordan — an entertainment manager at a major UK holiday park — has dropped an astonishing 14 stone (88.9kg).
He weighed 28 stone (177.8kg) this time last year, the drag performer said, and he decided to act after becoming breathless while performing as his alter ego, Ruby Slippers.
Jordan, from Swansea, said he was a very active child who loved singing, dancing and acting.
But touring life from age 18 brought unhealthy routines.
He explained that healthy habits slipped when he was on the road, because there was no kitchen.
He ate at service stations and grabbed convenience food — Greggs, McDonald’s — then pub visits and takeaways after shows.
“Everyone did it, so I didn’t really notice how much weight I was gaining,” Jordan said.
He admitted he had a regular order from his local Chinese.
“I’d ring my local Chinese and say, ‘Can I have my order?’ I wouldn’t even need to say what I wanted, it would already be there,” he recalled.
His usual choices included lemon chicken, seaweed, egg fried rice, chips, prawn crackers and duck spring rolls.
Last year he realised his weight was harming his health when he could not finish a song as Ruby Slippers.
“I couldn’t breathe, and I thought ‘this isn’t normal’,” Jordan said.
He visited his GP and was stunned to learn he weighed 28 stone.
The wake-up call made him want a different strategy from the many fad diets he’d tried.
Jordan considered a gastric sleeve but worried about food restrictions.
After speaking with his doctor he began weekly injections of Mounjaro via a private prescription from digital provider Numan.
The diabetes medication later became available on the NHS for people struggling to lose weight.
Mounjaro reduces hunger by helping people feel fuller for longer.
Patients are still advised to follow a balanced, calorie-reduced diet and exercise routinely.
Jordan stopped takeaway binges and started training with a personal trainer.
He says the changes make him feel like he added two decades to his life.
Although his Mounjaro treatment has cost more than £3,000 since August last year, Jordan thinks it has been “worthy every penny”.
He has cut costs by eating less and no longer needs bespoke costumes after dropping from 4XL to a medium.
Jordan replaced chocolate, crisps and heavy carbs with fresh fruit and vegetables.
He also stopped ordering from his beloved local Chinese.
They even phoned his house when his usual order did not arrive for weeks.
“This is so embarrassing, my local Chinese actually phoned my house to see if I was still alive,” he laughed.
“I could never eat any of that to that extent and that amount any more — in fact, I haven’t had a Chinese for a whole year now!”
Jordan stressed that people must commit both mentally and physically, and that these drugs are not a magic shortcut.