I’m no longer a sex symbol but having a ‘bit of a belly in place of my six pack’ won’t get me down, says Joe Wicks
EVEN the nation’s PE teacher can succumb to middle-age spread – with Joe Wicks admitting having a “little bit of a belly” in place of his six-pack will not get him down.
The Body Coach, who is married with three children, says his inbox is now full of questions about parenting rather than cheeky marriage proposals.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday, Joe, 37, says: “People just don’t see me as a sex symbol any more.
“In the early days, when I was single, I did the topless covers for health and fitness magazines.
“People used to leave cheeky comments on my Instagram.
“I’d get that whole, ‘Ooooh, you’re single, I’d love to marry you’ kind of stuff. Now I’m more known for my parenting.”
Joe, who has daughters Indie, four, and four-month-old Leni, plus son Marley, three, with wife Rosie, was a personal trainer before launching his Body Coach brand in 2015.
Eight years later he has 11 best-selling books and 4.5million Instagram followers.
His record-breaking daily PE With Joe broadcasts during the lockdowns earned him an MBE — and a place in the nation’s hearts.
Fans were also treated to training sessions led by Rosie, 32, a former Sun Page 3 girl, when she had to stand in for Joe while he recovered from wrist surgery.
Joe has told how it was love at first sight for the couple, and credits his wife with his success.
He says: “Rosie’s an amazing mum and she’s allowed me to be the Body Coach and to wake up and do filming and be on the road.”
‘It’s more difficult to stay in shape’
Never one to sit on his laurels, Joe is launching a three-day pop-up fitness studio in central London next weekend to help people stick to their New Year resolutions, with all the money raised going to youth community sports clubs.
He is also due to take PE With Joe workouts on tour to schools in Australia and the US.
Joe says: “In the long term, the school stuff is the most important to me.
“I just want to continue to have an impact.
“I want the legacy of the Body Coach to live on beyond me for years to come. That’s the goal.”
But while he continues to focus on growing his brand, Joe has a more realistic attitude to his own body.
He says: “It’s definitely more difficult to stay in shape personally than it was five years ago.
“Staying lean and muscular is going to get harder as I get older. But I’m certainly not going to be depressed if I have a little bit of a belly.
“Everybody at some point has a bit of body fat on them. It’s part of life, isn’t it.
“I have an aspiration of being a fit, healthy grandad, though — cycling up mountains and stuff.
“I’ve seen Arnold Schwarzenegger in a gym in LA and he’s in his seventies. He had his mates round him and they are all lifting weights.
“You have to live the lifestyle for ever, because if you stop, everything’s going to slow down. Also, it’s more from a muscular strength, joint health and Alzheimer’s point of view too, as that’s in my family.
“I want to know that I can resist that a little bit longer and stay fit and look after my brain as well.”
Addiction also runs in Joe’s family.
He grew up on a council estate in Epsom, Surrey, with his parents and two brothers.
His dad Gary, now 62, a roofer, was a heroin addict, and mum Raquela struggled with depression and anxiety, which led to obsessive compulsive disorder and caused her to clean the home obsessively.
Joe says: “My dad’s clean right now, although he’ll always be a recovering addict.
“His emotions are up and down.
“Sometimes when he arrives, he’s flat as a pancake. Then by the time he leaves, he’s lifted.
“We both took Marley swimming recently and that really soothed him, whereas in the past the heroin would have soothed him.”
Joe’s weaknesses are chocolate . . . and social media.
He says: “If there is chocolate in the cupboard, I’m going to smash the lot of it. But I won’t sit around feeling guilty.
“I’m going to go and do a workout, use the energy, feel good and have a better day.”
He says social media is his “dopamine”, the brain chemical that influences mood and feelings.
He adds: “Until I did PE With Joe there were trolls.
“Now I have a positive environment so people are embarrassed to be negative.
“If someone is ever mean about a transformational client, I just go, ‘block, delete, next’.
“And now I share stuff about the children. People love it.
“I always want to share positive messages but also be honest about the stress of parenting.
“It’s important to share what I’ve learnt as a parent, especially as someone who grew up in a house with addiction.
“I want to show that you can do things differently, positively, and be a much better parent.”
Family plays a major role in Joe’s mental health, as do regular date nights with Rosie.
He says: “You’ve got to find time for romance because intimacy is such an important part of any relationship.
“Me and Rosie had a great night at a roller disco the other week.
“We love letting off steam.”
After welcoming their youngest child in September, the couple are already planning another baby.
‘I don’t sit feeling guilty’
He says: “Leni is unreal.
“Indie and Marley are totally in love. They’re always trying to cuddle her.
“Five kids is the aim, if it all goes well and nature is in our favour.
“Maybe after a year or two we’ll have another crack.”
First Joe wants to help Britain keep fit.
He picked the third week of January to launch his pop-up because that is when people tend to ditch their New Year resolutions.
He says: “People tend to go, ‘Right, I’m doing dry January, low carbs, gym four times a week’.
“It’s too extreme and unrealistic.
“I want to help people keep their goals all year round by just making small daily changes that allow you to build confidence and fitness.
“I know it’s hard and you really have to dig deep. But it’s essential.”
- The Body Coach Studios will be open from January 20-22, tickets cost £12. On sale now at thebodycoach.com/studios.