Former Corrie Star Builds Muscly New Bod on Meat-Free Diet

Vegetarian actor and singer-songwriter Richard Fleeshman wants you to think differently about meat.

Fleeshman rose to fame when he was 12-years-old, playing Craig Harris for four years in British soap opera “Coronation Street.”

Now 29, Fleeshman is showing fans that you can build muscle with plant-based foods.

Sharing a poolside, shirtless photo on Instagram, the entertainer wrote, “You don’t need to eat meat to train for lean muscle and if this post makes even one person think differently about their meat consumption then it’s worth it.”

Fleeshman noted that he is not a nutritionist or doctor, but that he has eaten meat-free for more than two years. “I’ve never felt better ethically or physically,” he said.

He encouraged people to learn more about the food they’re eating. “The reasons for giving up meat are so numerous I couldn’t possibly begin to touch on them all here,” he wrote.

“If this interests you, there are many qualified sources with mountains of information available so you can arm yourself with the real facts about how meat and fish get on your plate & the damage it’s doing to you the oceans and the atmosphere,” he continued, alongside the hashtags “vegetarian,” “meatfree,” and “bekind.”

Building Muscle on a Meat-Free Diet

Fleeshman isn’t the first to use plant-based foods to build muscle.

Actor Chris Hemsworth adopted a vegan diet while filming “Thor” and “Avengers” to keep in shape. Hemsworth’s personal trainer Luke Zocchi spoke about the entertainer’s fitness routine. “We tried to see if he could keep the muscle being vegan, and it actually surprised me as well because we’re all in this mentality of ‘gotta eat animal protein, protein, protein,’ but you can get a lot of protein from beans,” he said.

A recent documentary called “The Game Changers” – executively produced by vegans James Cameron and Pamela Anderson – also shows viewers the power of plant-based food.

The film features elite athletes, special ops soldiers, cultural icons, and “everyday heroes,” each of whom want viewers to think differently about what’s on their plate. Stars of the documentary include former bodybuilder and governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, elite special forces trainer James Wilks, and Olympic cyclist Dotsie Bausch.