North Shore star John Bradley's epic reply over why he didn’t lose weight during Game Of Thrones
John Bradley is back on TV screens as hit series North Shore begins airing on ITV on Saturday 4 January. The show - first released back in 2023 - stars John and Joanne Froggatt as two detectives tackling a difficult murder case. All six episodes of North Shore will be available to stream via ITVX from 4 January too.
Most TV fans will recognise John, 36, from his role as Samwell Tarly in HBO's Game of Thrones, with the actor having joined the series in 2011. Samwell is the best friend of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and has become a fan favourite.
John previously revealed that a Game of Thrones fan questioned him over his weight in a rude exchange, with the fan asking why he hadn't lost any weight. The actor discussed the moment during an interview with Conan O'Brien in 2015.
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“He says, ‘No, I’ve just been wondering … why are you still so fat?’ I said, ‘Well … what?’ He said, ‘No, no, no, I just don’t believe it. You’re right up north, you’re not eating anything, you’re trekking across landscapes and running from things all the time. You should be losing weight'," John recalled.
He then explained his response to the rude comment. John continued: "I said, ‘OK, look. This is a fantasy show. We’ve got fire-breathing giant dragons, we’ve got ice zombies, we’ve got women giving birth to a cloud — why do you think it’s me still being fat that you just don’t buy?'”
John has noticeably lost weight since making his GoT debut in 2011. He once opened up about his body in a chat with FanSided’s Winter Is Coming blog after starring in a couple of seasons of the HBO show. FanSided asked: “You can’t go on diets, right? You’re not allowed to do various things to adjust your body weight. You sort of have to maintain a shape. Casting directors would say don’t fix your teeth, all that."
“Yeah, exactly. But… well, realistically, Samwell would be losing weight,” Bradley explained. FanSided then asked if Samwell's weight loss would be due to "all the stuff he does" in GoT, with John confirming the theory.
John has also spoken about finding fame on GoT, revealing he usually found fans to be "polite" and "respectful" towards him. He told Cherwell: "It was a level of fame that was actually quite manageable, as people who watched it, loved it. People who didn’t watch it would have no idea who you were, especially for somebody like me, who wasn’t on the posters, like Emilia or Kit, for example. That led to a level of recognition that was really nice. Everybody was always very polite and respectful."
