The health and fitness coach on his difficult childhood, why he’s never been single – and doing his first YouTube workout with a broken hand
Born in Epsom in 1985, Joe Wicks is a health and fitness coach and author. He studied sports science at St Mary’s University and started posting recipes and workouts on social media in 2014, while working as a personal trainer. His Lean in 15 videos went viral, leading to a bestselling publishing career. During the pandemic, Wicks hosted daily livestreamed PE lessons, raised more than £1m for charity and earned an MBE. His 13th book, Protein In 15, is out now.
I was always covered in food as a kid – a real messy eater. This was probably readymade spaghetti from a tin. Our family didn’t have the greatest diet – we were on benefits, a lot of our money went on Dad’s heroin addiction, and Mum was young and didn’t know much about nutrition.
Mum left home at 15 and was living in a squat when she met Dad. They had my older brother, Nikki, when she was 17. A year and a half later, I came along. We lived in a one-bedroom council flat in Epsom, and I was straight on formula milk and weaned on pre-made jars. As I grew up, my diet consisted of ultra-processed foods like potato waffles, baked beans, spaghetti hoops, crispy pancakes and frozen pies. There wasn’t a lot of fruit and veg at home, but I had unlimited access to a cupboard full of chocolate, crisps, Iced Gems and Wagon Wheels. I would raid it as soon as I came in from school. Even as an adult, I really struggle to eat junk food in moderation.
