Former teen heartthrob Christopher Atkins debunked speculation that he ‘stuffed’ his  Speedo while portraying swim coach, Peter Richards, on the beloved series, Dallas.

Despite claiming he was given a note from the network asking him to ‘please stop stuffing’ his swimsuit to make his package appear larger, the actor, 64, says he never did.

When asked explicitly if he ever bulked up his bulge, the New York native told Page Six: ‘Hell no.’

‘That’s a very nice backhanded compliment I would think from the network,’ he mused. 

Four decades after appearing on the hit TV show, Atkins admitted he still wonders who sent him that message that he was ‘pushing it a little bit.’

The star landed his role in Dallas after making his film debut in the 1980 coming-of-age drama, The Blue Lagoon, alongside Brooke Shields.  

Former teen heartthrob Christopher Atkins debunked speculation that he ‘stuffed’ his Speedo while portraying swim coach, Peter Richards, on the beloved series, Dallas (seen in 1983)

The Blue Lagoon follows the pair portraying to young children that are shipwrecked and stranded on a tropical island paradise in the South Pacific. 

Atkins was 18, at the time of filming, while Shields turned 15 on set of the survival thriller.

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The Blue Lagoon sparked controversy over its focus on the romantic and Sєxual awakening of the young protagonists.

Although it did not show them depicting any Sєxual acts, some viewers argued that it was overly suggestive and potentially exploitative of Shields, who was a minor.

While looking back at the film, Atkins revealed that it didn’t ‘freak’ him out to do ‘full frontal nudity.’

‘We talked about it and what the director’s [Randall Kleiser] vision was and it had nothing to do with being gratuitous,’ he insisted. ‘As you know, back then in the ’80s, there was a lot of gratuitous [nudity] going on, especially with females … I said, “Well, let’s just go with it and see.”‘

After gaining a huge following of gay men, Atkins said he was ‘very flattered about that.’ 

He appeared ɴuᴅᴇ, again, in Playgirl in 1983.

Despite claiming he was given a note from the network asking him to ‘please stop stuffing’ his swimsuit to make his package appear larger, the actor, 64, never did; pictured in character as  Peter Richards

The star landed his role in Dallas after making his film debut in the 1980 coming-of-age drama, The Blue Lagoon, alongside Brooke Shields (seen in 1980)

‘My theory was, you live once, there’s going to be a day where they’re going to pay me to keep my clothes on,’ he mused of stripping down for the magazine. 

Despite The Blue Lagoon receiving dismal reviews, at the time, the film adaptation of Henry De Vere Stacpoole’s 1908 novel still managed to amᴀss $58.8M at the global box office.

And while Atkins received a Golden Globe Award nomination for new star of the year (actor) for his performance, former child star Shields received a Golden Raspberry Award for worst actress.

He went on to star in The Pirate Movie (1982) with Kristy McNichol, A Night in Heaven (1983), and the TV series, Suddenly Susan, which starred Shields. 

Atkins (born Christopher Atkins Bomann) was raised in Rye, New York and aspired to be a baseball player until his dream was derailed by knee problems

Atkins (born Christopher Atkins Bomann) was raised in Rye, New York and aspired to be a baseball player until his dream was derailed by knee problems.

Atkins launched his career in entertainment by modeling, before going on to pursue acting. 

In recent years, he became a luxury pool builder and co-developed the Christopher Atkins Strike Jacket E.F.L. (Extreme Fishing Lure). 

Atkins reunited with his Dallas costar, Linda Gray, in 2023 while appearing in Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.