Danny Andrews has changed a lot in the 18 years since he went viral (Picture: BBC)
His name is Danny Andrews, but you know him as the fish and rice cake guy – but 18 years after he went viral, Danny has utterly transformed.
Danny, now 35, first appeared on the BBC Three documentary Baby Faced Bodybuilders back in 2006 when he was a young 17-year-old.
The documentary tracked Danny’s daily routine as he revealed his methods for staying in tip-top shape, including an extreme diet that took the internet by storm.
Although it didn’t go viral straight away, the Preston-based bodybuilder’s daily food plan made its way to YouTube in 2007 and flew around social media in the years afterward.
The strict diet? Fish and rice cakes. Danny’s recollection of his regimented food intake, complete with his strong regional accent, made him a viral hit.
When asked about his diet, he replied: ‘Eight o’clock in the morning, I’ll have fish and a rice cake. At 10 o’clock, I’ll have fish. At 12 o’clock, I’ll have fish and a rice cake…’
Danny looks completely different these days – but he’s still bodybuilding (Picture: Instagram)
And now, 18 years later, with his diet now thankfully expanded, Danny has looked back on the viral video, admitting that he still worries about how he comes across in the clip.
‘That clip just makes me look really thick,’ he told LadBible. Which is really funny and people still get joy from it now, it still go goes around in waves.’
He continued: ‘It’ll go quiet for a bit and then it’ll come out again. And then it’ll be everywhere and then it’ll go quiet again. But I’ve been doing it for 17 years now. So I think it’s part of like British culture.’
Danny has launched his own rice cake business 18 years later (Picture: Instagram)
Danny’s now a barbershop owner but that doesn’t mean he’s neglected his bodybuilding duties, with the BBC star still working hard at the gym to stay super-fit.
And while his diet has expanded these days, he’s still going to lengths most people wouldn’t: ‘I do 150 minutes cardio per week. I do four weight sessions a week. And I prioritise protein but I have a low carb.’
On top of that, Danny has plans to open his own rice cake business, saying that he’s already done almost two decades’ worth of marketing without even realising it.
Look how much he’s changed over the last 18 years (Picture: Instagram/BBC)
Some gyms have already stocked Danny’s rice cakes (Picture: Instagram)
The business was started up in Newcastle – which explains his strong accent – and was founded by Danny and his friend and fellow bodybuilder Zack McGuirk.
As explained in the documentary in 2006, the reason for Danny’s extreme diet was to lose a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time ahead of a major bodybuilding competition.
In 2021, Danny met up with Gordon Hill, better known as the Wealdstone Raider, who went viral in 2014 after a video of him heckling supporters at a Wealdstone FC football match hit social media.
The pair discussed what it’s like to go viral overnight, with both of them saying members of the public come up to them and repeat their catchphrases back to them.
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