Sam Asghari hit the headlines this week after splitting from Britney Spears just 14 months into their marriage – but his life before meeting the star was drastically different.
The Iranian immigrant moved to the US as a 12-year-old with his father in 2006 – leaving behind his mother and three sisters.
He started out as a promising college football player but after getting cut from the team was forced to make a drastic change in direction.
Sam instead enrolled to study criminal justice but was forced to take three jobs in order to pay his way and ended up relying on junk food to get him through the long days.
Sam Asghari hit the headlines this week after splitting from Britney Spears just 14 months into their marriage – but his life before meeting the star was drastically different (pictured on their wedding day in June 2022)
He eventually tipped the scales at 290lbs and began suffering with depression.
However, Sam decided to turn his life around and within six months had shed more than 100lbs thanks to a grueling exercise and diet regime.
The now 29-year-old also revamped his smile with a set of dazzling implants – and his Hollywood glow-up opened up a host of acting and modeling gigs that ultimately led him to meet Britney.
Here, FEMAIL delves further into Sam’s incredible transformation.
Sam weighed 290lbs and struggled with depression – but decided to turn his life around with a strict diet and exercise regime
After moving to America, Sam showed great promise as a professional football player but was cut from University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s summer football program before his freshman year.
He was forced to move back to LA and decided to enroll to study criminal justice instead.
But, at 19 years old, in order to fund his education as well as pay the bills he was working three jobs – as a Best Buy clerk, Gold’s Gym sales representative and nightclub bouncer.
Sam revealed that he was getting just four to five hours sleep a night as a result and he started to ‘stress eat’ unhealthy foods to get through the long days.
Sam, who stands at 6ft 2in, said that working out was no longer a priority and he eventually tipped the scales at 290lbs (left) before turning his life around (right)
Speaking previously to Men’s Health, he said: ‘I was eating Doritos for breakfast, fast food, sugar, candy, no protein, a lot of carbs, and drinking sugary sodas.
‘My nutrition was extremely horrible. The stress and the fear of not going anywhere [in life] combined gave me my depression.’
Sam, who stands at 6ft 2in, said that working out was no longer a priority and he eventually tipped the scales at 290lbs.
But, in 2013, he decided to turn his life around, spurred by a desire to ‘restart.’
He began by signing up for Gold’s Smart Nutrition course to understand how best to fuel his body before furthering his fitness knowledge through YouTube videos.
Sam became incredibly strict with his workout and diet routines, even limiting his food budget to ensure he could not splurge on treats.
He told the publication: ‘I allowed myself a $50 shopping budget every single week at the grocery store and because of that low budget, I wasn’t able to buy other things that would break [my diet].
‘I didn’t eat for pleasure. My eating is now for nutrition and survival.’
Then: Speaking previously to Men’s Health, he said: ‘My nutrition was extremely horrible. The stress and the fear of not going anywhere [in life] combined gave me my depression’
Now: The fitness guru also boasted having just three per cent body fat – with the average for an American man being 28 per cent
In 2016, he landed a role in Britney’s Slumber Party clip (pictured) – and their romance blossomed from there
Sam’s on-screen career also continued (pictured behind the scenes on set with Mel Gibson)
His meal plan consisted of 25 per cent protein, 15 per cent vegetables and 25 per cent complex carbs – found in foods such as peas, beans and whole grains.
Sam also threw himself into a new role as a personal trainer and soon became obsessed with shedding the weight.
He was eating around 1,500 calories a day while burning up to 4,000 calories in the gym – and within six months had lost a staggering 100lbs.
The fitness guru also boasted having just three per cent body fat – with the average for an American man being 28 per cent.
And his ripped physique opened the doors to a host of new opportunities.
Sam was encouraged by his sister to try his hand at modeling, which turned into acting, which then saw him cast in a series of music videos including Fifth Harmony’s Work From Home.
In 2016, he landed a role in Britney’s Slumber Party clip – and their romance blossomed from there.
Sam spent thousands of dollars to revamp his smile with implants and crowns the year he met Britney
It is no secret that junk food can be detrimental to oral health, with Dentistry Today previously asserting: ‘The primary reason why fast food is so bad for oral health is the added salt and sugar found in it.
‘When your patients eat these foods, debris is more likely to stick to their teeth. This food debris allows acids to build up along the surface of their teeth.
‘Eventually, this causes tooth decay and cavities.’
And it seems that the same happened to Sam – before he underwent a stunning overhaul.
In November 2016, Sam appeared on the Instagram feed belonging to LA dentist Dr. Kam Kamangar who shared shocking before and after snaps
The dental professional, who shared regular posts featuring Sam in the months that followed, revealed that the star had implants and zirconia crowns
In November 2016, the same month that the Slumber Party music video was released, he appeared on the Instagram feed of LA dentist Dr. Kam Kamangar.
The medical professional shared shocking before and after snaps of the work that he had done to the star’s teeth.
Sam’s smile showed severe signs of decay as well as irregular spacing before he underwent ‘full mouth restorations.’
The dental professional, who shared regular posts featuring Sam in the months that followed, revealed that the star had implants – which can cost up to $5,800 per tooth – and zirconia crowns – at up to $2,500.
