Did you know Joe Wicks, AKA The Body Coach and the man who has become the UK’s most popular PE ‘teacher’ this week, is a big Chelsea fan? Well, we’ve got the story behind how he came to be part of the Pride of London and also reveal who his all-time favourite Blue is...
With schools around the UK closing last Friday in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19, Wicks took it upon himself to give the parents of school-age kids some respite.
The Body Coach has enjoyed great success both online and in publishing with his fitness regimes and simple meal plans; now, each weekday morning at 9am, he would be conducting physical education sessions over YouTube.
As of Friday morning, the first of those sessions, which took place on Monday, had been streamed more than five million times.
Well, it just so happens the man keeping the nation’s children fit and well has been a big fan of the Blues since he was a kid – and over the past two summers he fulfilled a lifelong dream on the Stamford Bridge pitch!
At the end of the 2017/18 season, Wicks hosted HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions at our west London home, when he was joined by more than 1,000 people and many more tuning in via our official Facebook and YouTube channels.
Afterwards, he sat down with Chelsea Magazine to talk about his love of the club.
‘I’ve been a fan since I was about 10 years old,’ he said. ‘I grew up in Epsom and we used to go to Kingstonian and watch the friendly game there every year.
‘This was when the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Di Matteo were playing.
‘I have some photos of my in the old orange and grey kit – it was the only full kit I ever had, with the socks and shorts too – and I remember I got to meet Vialli and Dan Petrescu once. I loved it.
‘My brother Nikki was more of a season ticket holder, but I’ve always jumped in and caught a few games.
‘I’ve also been to Cobham and met John Terry when he was playing here. He’s a legend and a great inspiration.’
When it comes to his favourite Chelsea player of all time, though, JT doesn’t quite make the cut…
‘I’ll have to say Zola,’ revealed Wicks.
Later that summer he took part in Soccer Aid at Old Trafford, having described his playing style to us as ‘not skilful – I’m more of a workhorse’ before revealing his aim was simply to be ‘asked back’.
Well, his goal in England’s penalty shoot-out win over the Rest of the World XI meant he was indeed asked to return for the 2019 match – which just so happened to be taking place at Stamford Bridge!
With Terry and Joe Cole in the England side, Wicks described it as a ‘dream come true’ ahead of the game.
Alas, the dream soon turned to a nightmare as this year his penalty was saved by former Westlife singer Nicky Byrne in England’s shoot-out defeat.