Jet Li had no qualms calling himself fat while claiming he is just a regular guy who s different from the characters he portray in the movies. The action star is quickly gaining due to medication for a thyroid problem.

"I'm fat, I don't have the time to lose it. It's a fact!" the "Expendables" star joked at the sidelines of the taping for a new talent show in China where he will serve as celebrity judge.

According to NY Daily News, fans have noticed the heavier frame and fuller face of the actor but he explained it as a direct result of the medicines he's taking for a hyperactive thyroid. The problem, however, is he can't shed off weight through exercise on the advice of his physician.

Li is a major action star in Hong Kong and China after starring as Wong Fei Hung in "Once Upon A Time in China Series." He crossed over to the American audience with such hits as "Lethal Weapon 4," "The One" and the "Expendables" sequels despite his difficulties with the English language.

He was actually diagnosed in 2010 and has been taking medication in order to manage his condition. However, he said, he took a turn for the worse recently which is why the doctor recommended a more aggressive option.

The former Wushu champion said that fans shouldn't compare him to the heroes that he played in the movies. "I'm just a regular guy, I'm not Wong Fei Hung, I'm not Huo Yuan Jia (kung fu heroes he portrays on film), I'm not a hero. I'm just like you," NY Daily News reported.

And although he confessed that he's very much in pain because of his thyroid condition,

"but I'm not suffering. I'm happy."

He shuttles between China and Los Angeles where he also has a mansion. Li was last seen in the Hollywood film "Expendables 2," joining action legends like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.