Portrayed as a villain, the besieged dad says the show made life hell for him and his daughter.
Resident Biggest Loser “bad guy” Richard Roach says he is paying a heavy price for his slim new frame. As the series reaches its climax this week, “King Richard” has gone on the offensive, speaking out to counter the online abuse and death threats directed at him and his Loser team-mate, daughter Amber.
The finalist claims he has been unfairly vilified and “hung out to dry” in the name of ratings, insisting he is nothing like the backstabbing bully he’s made out to be. But Loser fans reacting to the portrayal have issued a barrage of online barbs, sending his fragile, 20-year-old daughter into a tailspin.
“I’m a tough bloke and I can take whatever is thrown at me, but the [online] abuse my daughter has received has brought me to my knees,” says Richard, 45. “She’s too scared to go to work, because people are threatening to bash her. She now says this is the worst experience of her life.”
Richard says he went on the show to help save his clinically depressed, 112kg daughter’s life. The once happy-go-lucky Amber was living as a social recluse in her bedroom after piling on 30-40kg in just three years. But although both he and Amber achieved their weight goals – he lost more than a third of his 139kg – in many ways, he was happier before. He’s now in the cross hairs of angry fans every time he’s in public, and says the show has strained his relationship with his family.
Read more about Richard’s regrets in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale Monday May 27, 2013.
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