Geoff Whitington tells the inspiring tale of pulling himself back from the brink

t was when Geoff Whitington met a man with an amputated foot in hospital that he got his first real shock to the system. The amputee was a diabetic, and Geoff (right) — a nonexercising, 20-stone, 62-year-old who lived off takeaways — was also struggling with the condition and beginning to lose circulation in one of his legs. “It was my first realisation about what diabetes c an do to you,” he says. “They tell you from the start. Eat properly. Cut out the drink. It’s killing you. But you make excuses for not doing it.”

Geoff became depressed and resigned to an early death. But he hadn’t banked on the tenacity of his two sons, Anthony and Ian, who were to drag their formerly “bubbly” father back from the brink. They vowed to change his stubborn ways, getting him to eat properly, and to learn to climb and skydive, and took him on a cycling trip in rural Spain.

It worked, and in some style: three years later, Geoff has lost six-and-a-half stone, found feeling returning to his endangered foot and has reversed his Type 2 diabetes. The whole thing was filmed for an emotional, compelling film, Fixing Dad, shown on BBC2 last Sunday and, as a result, the trio now give speeches at medical conferences and diabetes clinics. Geoff has become a “diabetes champion”, and the man who could previously “barely walk” is now taking part in his second Prudential RideLondonSurrey 100. “The old Geoff would be laughing — I couldn’t do anything,” he says. “I’d never have dreamed of cycling, let alone this distance. Eve n a f t e r we started the project, it wasn’t doable at first. I had to drive even the shortest distance to the shops. I was very down, and I’d just end the day after work sitting in front of the TV with a beer. “I had some heated discussions with my sons about getting better, and they said they wanted to try something. I agreed that whatever they asked, I’d attempt it. Cycling was a big part of their plan. We got my old bike out, and the first time I literally went up and down the road with Anthony pushing me.” Geoff found that once he’d overcome his initial reservations, his fitness improved in no time. “It was very surprising. Once I got over the ‘I can’t do this’ hump, I got fitter very quickly. It changed my life. Now I absolutely love cycling and my health is brilliant. I’m off all my diabetes medication, and I feel like a million dollars, like my life is just starting.” Geoff took part in the 2014 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 as part of his recovery, although that year the route was shortened to 86 miles due to bad weather. “It was the most fantastic thing I’ve ever done,” he says. “I wasn’t expecting the amount of encouragement you get from the crowd — you’re riding on a wave. Before the ride, I thought, ‘I’m not sure this isn’t just a bit too long’. But people said, ‘Wait and see, it’s so different when you’re out there’. And they were right. I’m looking forward to trying to do the full 100 now.”

The family hopes that the Fixing Dad film will inspire people in a similar situation to the “old” Geoff. “My brother and I are corporate film-makers, and this was the first ‘creative’ film we’ve done,” says Anthony Whitington. “The response has been crazy. We’ve been keynote speakers at the Inspire awards for Diabetes UK, and our message is one of hope. It’s controversial to say you can reverse Type 2 diabetes but we do like to say dad is in reverse gear. He’s off seven different types of medication, and is his old, happy self again. We’re chuffed to bits about that.”

Geoff agrees wholeheartedly. “The lads saved my life and I’m so grateful. I’d say to anyone in a similar situation — watch the film. Not many people can be in a worse state than I was. It’s in your hands to get fitter and better, so try it one step at a time. It doesn’t take long to work.”

Not that his recovery to date is getting the boys off his back. “I’ve lost so much weight but they want me back down to 12 stone, the weight I was when I was 20,” laughs Geoff. “And I’m going to go for it. I’ve even got my wife training, and it’s helping her with a bad back. Cycling is wonderful. We all go out together and it’s brought my family back. We’re closer than ever.” Watch the film on BBC iplayer. Riders entering the ballot for the 2017 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 can also enter the Fixing Challenge and up to four riders will be selected to work with the Whitingtons during the preparations for the 100-mile ride on Sunday, July 30, 2017. The ballot opens on Monday, August 8 at prudentialridelondon.co.uk