Danny Andrews, better known as the ‘Fish and a Rice Cake Guy’, left fans gobsmacked after revealing his almost unrecognisable appearance nearly 20 years on from the iconic meme
‘Fish and a Rice Cake Guy’ cemented himself in internet history almost 20 years ago with a breakdown of his unusual diet – but now you’d struggle to recognise him from a side-by-side photo.
Danny Andrews was just 16 years old when he delivered his iconic line while taking part in the 2007 BBC Three documentary Baby Faced Body Builders. At the time, the then-teenager had no idea how his unusual diet would impact his future – or that a few seconds of footage would follow him for almost two decades. He told viewers how he got into shape, explaining: “Eight o’clock in the morning, I’ll have fish and a rice cake… at 10, just fish… at 12, fish and a rice cake.”
The clip has now racked up more than 4.5 million views on YouTube and since been shared across the internet thousands of times over the years.
And fans still can’t get enough of Danny’s incredibly repetitive meal plan.
Commenting on one of the original clips, one user said: “I love how he has to think about what he’s having next.”
Another joked: “I heard that on a cheat day he has rice and a fishcake.”
A third added: “Always puts me on the edge of my seat wondering if there will be a rice cake without the fish.”
Someone else said: “Plot twist – his trainer is actually a fishmonger who was struggling with sales.”
Now in his mid-30s, Danny, originally from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, has moved on from his bodybuilding days and works as a barber, running his own shop in Preston, Lancashire.
But the infamous diet hasn’t been completely left behind.
In recent years, Danny even launched his own protein rice cake brand.
Speaking about how the documentary came about, Danny told the YouTube show People Are Deep: “Instead of just saying I eat six meals of fish and every other it’s with a rice cake, I just did exactly what they said.
“And I’d done the diet myself as well and it worked. And it wasn’t my diet forever, it was literally for two to three weeks.
“You’d carb deplete, get all the glycogen out of your muscles, then you’d carb up for two days and then you’d fill up.”
Danny also revealed that, despite becoming synonymous with fish, he doesn’t actually like it.
He explained he only included it in his diet because it contained fewer calories than alternatives such as turkey or chicken.
But while the clip has become a beloved internet meme, Danny’s newfound fame wasn’t always easy to deal with.
After the documentary aired, strangers began yelling “fish boy” at him as they drove past.
He was also subjected to cruel bullying at parties during his late teens, with people playing the video and laughing at him.
Danny said: “There’d be a load of lads sniggering at me and showing videos at house parties and back then I wasn’t confident so it literally felt like bullying.
“And I’d leave the party and everyone would laugh at me because I was still that guy, I still looked the same, I still spoke the same.
“I’ve got quite a broad Northern accent. Now, I’ve got a thick skin and I know that if you put yourself out there you know that somebody’s going to say something.”
These days, however, Danny appears to have embraced the moment that made him famous.
He regularly plays into the “Fish and a Rice Cake” meme on social media, where he has received plenty of support from fans who remember the original clip.
One user simply commented: “Legend.” Another wrote: “Love how you look back and laugh about it bro but truth is bro you was in unreal shape and you still are. Fair play brother.”
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