The 64-year-old actor credits Sam – who he calls by her nickname Mighty Mouse – with helping him lose an impressive 14kg.
“Mighty Mouse, I don’t have time to work out today. That OK?” Mel’s text message might read.
To which Sam’s reply is something like: “Not OK. Get on the treadmill!”
And her methods work: in just eight weeks, the Oscar winner has been transformed into a much sleeker, healthier version of himself.
“He’s thrilled the weight is off. He’s lost 27cm around his belly,” says Sam, 45, who’s banned cream from Mel’s morning coffee and got him to bin the butter he used to fry his steaks in.
The way Sam met Mel just four months ago reads like a film script. Mel was sitting at the table next to Sam, her husband Martin and some friends. Sam’s friend went over to say hi and brought Mel back to their table.
Soon the star was happily chatting as they tucked into pizza and salad.
“He was very easygoing and entertaining. We sat there for hours, talking until about 2am.
“Then in the early hours, Mel tapped his gut and said, ‘I just can’t get rid of this middle-aged spread. I’ve tried everything and it simply can’t be done,’” Guildford-based Sam recalls.
BREKKY (Within an hour of waking) omelette with tomatoes and capsicum.
SNACK (Three hours later) Zen Fuze Protein Shake.
LUNCH (Three hours later) chicken with asparagus, broccoli and green beans and sweet potato.
SNACK (Three hours later) Zen Fuze Protein Shake.
DINNER (Three hours later) grilled salmon with small baked potato and garden salad.
