50 Cent has shed 54lbs for a new movie role.

The 'In Da Club' rapper lost the dramatic amount of weight in just nine weeks by virtually cutting out all foods and undertaking a gruelling exercise regime to play an American Football player with cancer in new film 'Things Fall Apart'.

Shocking pictures posted on his website were captioned with the details of his weight loss.

The caption read: "50 Cent lost a lot of weight for his upcoming movie 'Things Fall Apart'. In the movie 50 Cent plays a football player diagnosed with cancer.

He dropped from 214 pounds to an astonishing 160 with a liquid diet and three-hour-a-day treadmill walks for nine weeks.

However, the 'Candy Shop' hitmaker - real name Curtis Jackson - insists he is putting on weight again after finishing filming and embarking on a tour.

He said: "I'm starving. I've been eating. I'll be back in shape in no time."

50 isn't the first star to shed a dramatic amount of weight for a film role.

In 2004, Christian Bale famously dropped from 185lbs to 122lbs for his role in 'The Machinist'.

The actor - who was banned from losing anymore weight by the movie producers - existed on just an apple or a can of tuna a day and exercised relentlessly to prepare for playing tortured insomniac Trevor Reznic.