A ROCKY START: Fitness inspiration Joe Wicks reveals the struggles of his early life

"I USED EXERCISE AS THERAPY IN A WAY" - WICKS

3rd March 2021 Dylan James Student Work 0
Reporting from BA Sports Journalism at the University of South Wales
Reporting from BA Sports Journalism at the University of South Wales

by Dylan James

WE are all guilty of assumptions at times, but you certainly shouldn’t judge a book by its cover in the case of fitness inspiration Joe Wicks. 

Wick’s fitness lessons went viral during lockdown, with millions of children taking part in his Monday to Friday classes. Also known as The Body Coach, this wasn’t the first time the 34-year-old has received mass public attention.

With over 2.7 million YouTube subscribers, 4 million Instagram followers, an app, a tv show on Channel 4 and a vast array of health and nutrition books, Wicks has certainly established himself as a prominent figure in health and fitness culture.

 

So on first impressions, you look at Joe Wicks and you think to yourself: Wow, he must have had a great upbringing and huge financial and moral support from his family and friends! This is not the case by any stretch.

Speaking to Eddie Hearn on his BBC Sounds podcast “No Passion, No Point”, Wicks explained what struggles he faced as a child and how this motivated him to embark on a fitness journey that inspired millions.

Here is the link to listen to the interview in full – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0904vzj

“Outsiders on Instagram will see you and think: you’ve had this amazing success and career, you come from a family of entrepreneurs and ambitious business people, but my childhood wasn’t like that at all.

“My mum left school at 15, she left home and was living at a squat, she met my dad. She had my older brother Nikki and then had me at 19. She was very young when she had us.”

“My dad was battling a hardcore heroin addiction for my whole life. He’s clean today which is important.”

Joe went on the explain how fitness became a personal remedy for the traumas he was exposed to from a young age, letting his emotions run riot on the football field instead.

“It was chaotic, a lot of abandonment. My dad wasn’t there and I didn’t have a positive role model.

“The one thing I always had, and I even think now, I always had P.E., sport and fitness. I had a great relationship with my P.E. teachers.”

“I used exercise as a release, it was my therapy in a way. That was my way of dealing with my emotions and anger towards the addiction and the trauma that was going on at home.”

Despite releasing a paid-for app, called “The Body Coach”, Joe remains focused on delivery free content to his fans. Even a year following the release of his “P.E. with Joe” series, Wicks is still releasing content, with the nation once again in lockdown.

Joe Wicks serves as a shining example of how showing grit, determination and consistency can produce success. In doing so, his work has encouraged millions of people to exercise, and lead a happier and healthier life.

Below is a video detailing my learning outcomes from listening to this interview.