Here are 7 Famous Athletes Who Have Had Major Body Transformations

These Athletes Dramatically Changed Their Appearances

Athletes must play well to succeed on the ice, mat, turf, or track, but it doesn't hurt to look well for the cameras either. Professional sportsmen can alter their appearances thanks to lucrative sponsorship deals; in certain cases, these tough competitors are keen to capitalize on their celebrity status while it lasts. Many athletes have enhanced their features and bodies with cosmetic surgery, but severe changes aren't always necessary to completely change one's appearance, Nicki Swift writes. A basic haircut or a highly skilled glam squad may also do the trick. These seven athletes are unquestionably in the running for the best transformation award, if there were such a thing.

1. Travis Kelce

In September 2023, Travis Kelce made his on-screen debut with Taylor Swift, sporting a well-groomed beard and his signature short-cropped skin fade. However, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs had a very different look in 2016 when he was searching for love on his E! dating series, Catching Kelce. With long hair on top and a gradual taper on the sides, Kelce gave off the appearance of a reality show star, and his face was also more slender than it is now. Kelce's chef told Kansas City magazine that the three-time Super Bowl champion is now bulkier because he follows a diet of 4,000 calories a day.

2. Tom Brady

Since retiring from the NFL twice, Tom Brady has had to deal with several life changes, including separating from his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen and bidding adieu to the football field. The native of California is concentrating on his health because he is neither married nor participating in professional sports, as per Life&Style Magazine. Brady has lost ten pounds and is in fact in even better shape. On the Let's Go podcast in September 2023, he shared “I haven’t had the stress that I had while I was playing so that’s allowed me to focus a little bit more on my physical health. You could prioritize a lot of things: career, kids, relationships, family, greater good, community.” He added, ​​“At the end of the day, physical and mental health should sit at the top of the pyramid. When we don’t have that, we have nothing.”

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

CR7 hasn't always been a strong physical athlete. He was quite thin and slender when he first arrived in England. Due to his quick-witted antics, he became a crowd favorite and the subject of many crunching tackles on the field, as per Men's Health. But since then, Ronaldo has developed a physique that allows him to roll with the tackles and outmuscle center halves to score goals spectacularly. Unquestionably, Ronaldo's physical attributes have elevated his game to unprecedented levels, and in the process also made him a worldwide crush. 

4. Shaun White

Shaun White's halfpipe exploits brought him three gold medals in his Olympic career and his long crimson waves earned him the title of 'The Flying Tomato'. When it came to stylizing his wild hair, White disclosed that he was a rebel. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2010, he shared "Every time somebody comes up and tells me to shave it or do something like that, I just decide to grow it even longer." However, he chopped off his hair and donated it to the nonprofit charity Locks of Love two years later, which completely changed his appearance.

5. Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas, one of the Fierce Five, made Olympic history by being the first Black gymnast to win a gold medal in the all-around competition. When Douglas participated in her first Olympics, she was slender and lithe but later, she gained weight as she got ready for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Douglas earlier this month, posted a picture of herself. Her muscles look well-defined and it appears as though she is poised for another shot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

6. Lolo Jones 

Lolo Jones is perhaps most known for her transformation from hurdler to bobsledder, but she's also one of many Olympians who no longer resemble their former selves. Jones's finest Olympic result was in 2012 when she placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. Since then, she has made two appearances on MTV's The Challenge. She has also been in reality shows including Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing with the Stars. Jones has gone blonder as she had to attend red-carpet events after cementing her name in reality TV. On her Instagram accounts he recently disclosed that she receives treatments using Morpheus8 radiofrequency microneedling, which she describes as "a non-Botox way to tighten everything up."

7. Bethanie Mattek-Sands

With nine Grand Slam victories under her belt and an Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles from the 2016 Rio Games, Bethanie Mattek-Sands is one of the biggest names in tennis, known for frequently changing her hair color. She had a ponytail at Wimbledon in 2013 that matched the bright yellow color of a tennis ball, and then colored her hair purple for the U.S. Open a few weeks later. She has also dabbled in rainbow hair and pink streaks. Black Label Tennis spoke with Mattek-Sands on her bold fashion choices, where she stated, "It's something that I would do off the court and I think more people should bring their personalities on the court." Ted Gibson, a famous hairdresser, had her go for a punk pixie cut and she has kept a short hairdo ever since.