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He’s taken the US by storm and soaked up the clean-living Los Angeles vibes, so it’s no wonder James Arthur has ditched his wild lifestyle to go vegan.

James, 29, who played the main stage at V, tells me he was miserable being overweight and has a new lease of life – and is now almost half the man he used to be.

He says: “I’ve been vegetarian for a little while. But then I watched the Netflix documentary What The Health and now I’m vegan.

“I’m a singer and dairy stuff isn’t good for you. I’ve also got a Fitbit health tracker. I was carrying loads of weight and it was terrible being fat.”

(Image: WireImage)

He’ll have to ditch those cheesy pizzas on his rider though. I took a peek at his list of demands, which include a Dyson fan, Egyptian cotton towels in eggshell, steamed broccoli and a UFC PlayStation game. Next stop will be the private jets! But James tells me: “I don’t take myself seriously any more and I feel great.

“Having my poster in Times Square in New York was amazing. What a dream to see that.

“It’s the most iconic thing that has happened in my career so far. It’s very rewarding. I feel like I have put the work in.”

Last year James was performing at small events such as Shardfest in Birmingham.

And now he’s on the main stage at V Festival.

Next year he’s hoping a collaboration with Jay-Z will be on the cards. “That’s the dream,” he says. Meantime he’s working on his third album and things are still going strong with dancer and model Jessica Grist.

Middlesbrough-born James, who won The X Factor in 2012, adds: “I’m not a religious guy but I listen to a lot of gospel and church music. I’m spiritual.

“It’s good to believe in something.

“I think love is my main thing. I think God is in everyone.”