James ‘Arg’ Argent has turned to God to continue his journey as a changed person following his stint in a self-help retreat in Thailand.
The 29-year-old reality star – who previously battled with his weight and spent time in rehab after admitting to feeling "badly depressed" – enjoyed his daily mediation sessions so much that he has reportedly been attending church regularly and is determined to become a full-time Christian, something which has surprised his close friends.
A source told The Sun online: "Arg has been working hard on himself and is determined to stay well.
"He’s always been a spiritual person but he found faith while he was away. It’s something he wanted to continue when he came back to the UK and now he’s attending church regularly.
"It shocked some of his mates because they had no idea he was into that but if it works for him then everyone is going to support him."
It comes after reports that Arg has been dropped from ‘The Only Way Is Essex’.
He is believed to have met with bosses of the ITVBe show last month and was reportedly told that he wasn’t allowed to return for the current because they were worried it would throw him back off the bandwagon.
A source previously said: "Arg loves ‘TOWIE’ and was hoping he would make a cameo in the final few episodes of the series. But bosses believe after a lengthy stint in a rehab, being rushed back into the fold would not be in the best interests of Arg and other cast members. He was also told a full-time return is unlikely unless there was a dramatic improvement in his lifestyle."
The hunk – who was also suspended from the programme in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine – was last seen on screens at the end of 2016.
James ‘Arg’ Argent turns to God following stint at self-hel retreat
