Channing Tatum On His ‘Inner Fat Kid’ & Being A ‘High-Functioning’ Alcoholic

Channing Tatum wowed the world with his shredded abs in “Magic Mike,” but the actor admits he would have a very different physique if he gave in to one of his big loves – food.

In an interview with GQ for their June cover story, the 34-year-old star said one of his favorite TV shows is “The Biggest Loser,” because he can relate to the contestants’ feelings.

“I really do love [‘Biggest Loser’]. It’s terrible and it’s bad, but I really do think it’s because I have an inner fat kid in me,” he told the mag. “If I didn’t enjoy sports so much… My dad was 370 pounds at one point. I definitely have that.

“I can completely lose myself into just absolutely satisfying things—a really amazing cheeseburger, a pizza, good fries, a beer. I enjoy being comfortable and eating whatever the hell I like. It’s a big thing for me, just having the freedom to be able to do that,” adding that he specifically loves “confetti cake.” “It has little colored candies inside the cake, and then you get the confetti icing, which is really hard to find sometimes. It’s really hard to explain to people, because it’s not icing with sprinkles on top. It’s icing that actually has candies inside of it. It’s Funfetti icing.”

What makes the cake so amazing?

“The icing, coupled with the actual confetti cake. It’s a beautiful mix,” he said. “It is an angel sent from heaven.”

The actor also opened up about his affinity for drinking – something he admits he probably overindulges in.

“I probably drink too much. My wife, that’s what she bought into.… I’m probably a pretty high-functioning, I guess, you know, I would say, alcoholic,” he said, explaining that he likes how drinking slows down his racing mind. “There’s probably a tendency to escape. I equate it to creativity, and I definitely equate it to having a good time.”

However, since the birth of his and wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s baby Everly last May, Channing has cut back on his drinking. And he’ll quit completely for four months while filming the upcoming “Magic Mike” sequel, “Magic Mike XXL.”

“Then, at the end of that movie, it’s go time,” he said.

— Erin O’Sullivan