BBC The Wheel's Michael McIntyre's two-word response as famous star asks about weight

The Wheel is back on BBC1 and Michael McIntyre is joined by a line-up of celebrities who are trying to help the public win some cash, but one of the stars is distracted by Michael's weight loss

Michael McIntyre's hit game show returns with a bang this weekend, packed with star-studded guests and laughter, but it's the host's noticeably trimmer figure that catches the attention of one of his celebrity guests.

The latest series of the popular BBC One programme has upped the ante with more celebrities than ever before, introducing the 'Double Chair' feature and a high-pressure 'Cashout Question' but will the contestants be able to answer their way to a fortune?

The first episode sees Jonathan Ross, Joanne McNally, Gethin Jones, Judi Love, Niko Omilana, Clodagh McKenna, and William Hanson take on the challenge but chat show legend Jonathan can't resist commenting on Michael's weight loss during the show.

During Saturday's (October 12) premiere, when the wheel lands on comfort foods, Jonathan from The Masked Singer UK quips to Michael: "You don't eat at the moment, do you? You look like you've lost so much weight."

Michael responds: "Thank you Jonathan but you've got things under control. You've yo-yo'd over years.", reports the Daily Record.

Jonathan admits: "I yo-yo all the time but guess what? I did two days of exercise this week. I did the plank for nearly 40 seconds."

As the audience applauds, Jonathan stands to take a bow, prompting Michael to tease: "40 seconds? That's not very long."

The host then showed off how to do the "plank", much to the amusement of the giggling celebrities.

Following reports that Michel once shed 14lbs at a prestigious weight loss centre in Austria, it has also been revealed that he developed an unusual phobia during his stay at the £4,000-a-week Mayr Clinic. The star previously shared that he was advised against eating apples as they would make him "lethargic" and "confused", resulting in him developing a fear of consuming the fruit.

"It was a week of pain and they did all these tests on me, put little probes on the end of my tongue and told me I shouldn't eat apples," the host of BBC's The Wheel said of his 2017 retreat with fellow comic Paul Tonkinson. "Apparently apples will make me very lethargic and confused in my brain. It's the only thing I've taken from it, really."

The clinic is notorious for its rigorous regime, beginning each guest's stay with a salt cleanse. "You drink the Epsom salts first thing and then within 20 minutes, the whole of the clinic which is full of wealthy fat people are all rushing to the lavatory," Michael recounted.

Michael managed to endure six days at the retreat, losing a stone in the process. However, he confessed after leaving: "I was so emotional, depressed and confused and Paul was skeletal."

The father-of-two has since regained the weight, much to the delight of his wife Kitty, who prefers "She wants teddy bear Michael not racing snake Michael".

Michael McIntyre's The Wheel returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday, October 12 at 8.20pm