The Olympics' Louis Smith: much more than the man he was, alas Last summer, he was a hunky vision in patriotic red and white. The pin-up of London 2012, Louis Smith launched himself upon the pommel horse with his strong, muscular arms, his strong, muscular legs arcing in the air, and Britain watched agog. A handstand! A triple Russian! A flawless dismount! The applause, including that from a rather flushed-looking Duchess of Cambridge, was rapturous - not least because we knew that beneath that (very manly) leotard was a set of super-sculpted abs. Having twirled, swung and pirouetted his way to a silver medal, our strapping Olympian stole the show on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. His waltz was wonderful, his samba superb and his hip-jiggling salsa almost too X-rated to be shown before the watershed. Smith, who won the series with his partner Flavia Cacace, was the perfect combination of balance and brawn, oozing athletic ability and aesthetic appeal from every pore. Then, yesterday, Louis Smith made our jaws drop all over again. In place of that washboard stomach was what some dubbed a "paella belly." His ripped abdominals and bulging biceps were gone, replaced with an all-over squidginess that could only be described as "cuddly." There was no denying it. Smith, pictured on holiday in Ibiza, has gone to seed. How could this have happened? Just a few weeks ago, the 24-year-old appeared in Men's Health magazine, revealing the secrets of his killer physique. Readers were told they could get not only a six-pack, but an eight-pack, if they followed his top tips. How quickly things have changed. If Smith has brought an eight-pack with him on holiday this week, he must have left it in the hotel minibar. No, alas, it seems the athlete is suffering from "post-Olympic paunch." Not having competed for 12 months (it was a year ago on Monday that Smith won his silver medal), that rigorous training regime has gone out the window, along with his strict diet and muscle mass. But James Turner, a personal trainer based in Kent, says we shouldn't be too harsh on Smith. In the run-up to the Olympics, he will have ramped up his training to such a degree that it's not surprising it's slipped. Many of Turner's bodybuilding clients face the same problem: "They get used to eating like a horse to build muscle, and if you continue doing that when not training, it will be stored as fat." Indeed, Smith - who is the face of the Subway sandwich chain - has revealed a weakness for high-calorie foods. "As soon as the Games ended, I started eating loads of chocolate," he admitted. I stopped going to the gym and just ate. In fact, I've not really been to the gym since the Games. My abs are definitely slacking. There is this sort of downtime for athletes where you don't really know what to do. With no motivation to maintain it, it's little wonder his body has bulged. Sadly, Smith has said he might not compete at the 2016 Olympics, instead planning a career as a fashion designer and TV pundit. Mercifully, keeping fit is still a priority: "My body is my tool," he declared recently. I have to keep it in good shape for the future. So, how can he recover that toned torso? Turner says age and base fitness are in Smith's favour: "It would probably take three months to get back to peak fitness. He needs to go back to the exercises he was doing before the Olympics - gym work, strength and conditioning, weights and a boot camp-style regime. Probably not what Smith, indulging in a well-earned break in the sun, wants to hear. But, please Louis, don't let our lasting impression of 2012"s poster boy be a chubby chap preening by the pool.