SINGAPORE - Cleo's most eligible bachelor for 2018 has abs of steel but in secondary school, they were more like the bottomless pit.

Mr Ng Zi Xuan had a hearty appetite but there was a downside. "My mum used to feed me two bowls of rice per meal and I became very plump," said Mr Ng, 24, a year 2 student of marketing at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT).

At 16, he stood at 1.65m and weighed 85kg.

Going into NS helped a bit but he soon put it back once he was done. But Mr Ng had a change of heart two years ago. He started hitting the gym twice a day and cooking his own meals .

The hard work paid off. On Friday (May 18), Mr Ng, who measures 1.75m and weighs 75kg was crowned Cleo's most eligible bachelor . About 500 people were at the finals party held at Capital, Zouk at Clarke Quay.

"I am really shocked that I won because there were so many good contenders. I joined just to have fun and make new friends and build some connections and I really did not expect to win, so this is a big surprise for me," said Mr Ng.

Besides Mr Ng, three other bachelors also took home awards from the contest.

Mr Aaron Mossadeg, 26, was "One to Watch", Mr Kelvin Ho, 22, the "Freshest Face" and Mr Leonard Heng, 22, was the "Modern Man".

The contest which is in its 23rd year, is a highly anticipated annual contest which scours the town for the man who has it all - looks, charisma and success.

Guests who attended the finals party for the contest were able to partake in futuristic LED drinks, delicious food and activities such as getting airbrush tattoos and making a tote bag.

Cleo is published by SPH Magazines Pte Ltd which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of media organisation Singapore Press Holdings Limited.

Correction Note: This article has been edited for clarity.