Erkan Mustafa, the child actor who was one of the stars in children's teatime drama 'Grange Hill', has claimed that he wasn't fat, he just had big bones.
Mustafa, who played overweight Roland Browning - nickname 'Roly' - could be seen almost perpetually scoffing packets of crisps and biscuits which he produced from seemingly-bottomless blazer pockets, but says he only ate when he was hungry.
He was also, however, a regular in the queue at the local chip shop.
But, in a new book that he might be planning, Roland says the show's producers made him eat, even when he wasn't hungry. He was also 'forced' into being friends with Janet St. Clair, a girl that merely felt sorry for Roland - who was being bullied because of his weight - but rejected her. Janet, played by Simone Nylander, comically used to call him Ro-land.
Ro-land says that he would have been much fatter had it not been for his punishing exercise regime which can be seen in the picture above.
He said:
"I wasn't greedy. I just ate when I was hungry, which was always."
