Celebrity Big Brother star and famed paparazzo Darryn Lyons looks unrecognisable 13 years after stint on the show as he quits Australia - but does he still have those fake abs?

By Jimmy Briggs For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 03:33 EDT, 11 October 2024 | Updated: 03:34 EDT, 11 October 2024

]]]]>]]>

Celebrity Big Brother star Darryn Lyons appeared virtually unrecognisable on Thursday during a casual stroll through his new home city of London.

The flamboyant paparazzi photographer, 59, has ditched his trademark flaming red hair from his 2011 reality TV days in fav or of stylish bleach blonde locks.

Darryn showcased his unique fashion sense in a patterned blue and red long-sleeve dress shirt over a white logo tee, paired with blue jeans and white Adidas sneakers. 

He added to his unique style with slick red-framed aviator glasses and a designer watch. 

The former Mayor of Geelong looked noticeably heavier than he did several years ago when he used to walk around shirtless in public and flaunt his six-pack abs, and it is unknown if he still retains his muscular physique.

However, he still had the same cheeky grin that won over thousands of fans during his time on the British reality series. 

To many, Darryn is the flamboyant former mayor of Geelong, to others he is the pink haired paparazzo with a penchant for implanted abdominals. 

But while he lost his mayoral seat in the Australian city eight years ago, Darryn proved old habits die hard in a series of Instagram posts earlier this year. 

Celebrity Big Brother star Darryn Lyons appeared virtually unrecognisable on Thursday during a casual stroll through London. The flamboyant paparazzi photographer, 59, has ditched his trademark flaming red hair from his 2011 reality TV days in favor of stylish bleach blonde locks

The entrepreneur gained notoriety in the United Kingdom after revealing a set of perfectly chiselled, and completely fake, abdominal muscles while appearing on Celebrity Big Brother in 2011. 

And Darryn confirmed the silicon six-pack was still present and correct as he stripped off his shirt for an Instagram video in July.  

Instead of regular gym visits, Lyons, a former professional celebrity photographer, had fat removal surgery in 2009 to achieve his washboard six-pack.

Following his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, Lyons' photo agency went into administration after 20 years of selling paparazzi shots to some of the world's largest magazines and newspapers, with Mr Lyons finding himself idle again. 

Darryn showcased his unique fashion sense in a patterned blue and red long-sleeve dress shirt over a white logo tee, paired with blue jeans and white Adidas sneakers

Darryn added to his unique style with slick red-framed glasses and a designer watch

So his head turned to politics, a far cry from the career path he had taken up aged 22 when he moved to London to start his long-stint as a photographer.

Moving back to his hometown of Geelong, where his Baptist parents still lived and he had attended Geelong East Technical School, Darryn ran for mayor and won in 2013.

The Victorian government later dismissed the former photographer and the Greater Geelong City Council after a Commission of Inquiry found that the council was riven with conflict. 

The former Mayor of Geelong looked noticeably heavier than he did several years ago when he used to walk around shirtless in public and flaunt his six-pack abs, and it is unknown if he still retains his muscular physique. Pictured: Darryn (left) in 2024 and ( right) in 2011