‘YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE THEM MORE EXHAUSTED – IT’S DAMAGE LIMITATON’
WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE TO TRAIN A PRIME MINISTER
Walking into 10 Downing Street is like entering “a film set”, recalls Matt Roberts, “because you know it so well, you’ve seen it so much”. It was 2010, and he had been asked to help knock into shape the newly-installed 43-year-old prime minister, David Cameron.
Having worked as a celebrity personal trainer for film stars and royalty for 25 years, Roberts doesn’t do star-struck: Cameron was a “human body”, not a public figure.
“It’s getting to grips with the needs of that individual,” he says. “If someone’s getting ready for a film role, there are certain defined targets. If someone’s trying to survive political power, my focus is on making sure that person is looked after and kept phenomenally well and healthy.”
For Cameron, that meant regular jogging and tennis sessions, planned around his level of exhaustion or stress – aiming simply to maintain his health and well-being, rather than make any “massive strides forward”.
Cameron regularly complained about how difficult it was to keep fit while in No 10, but his determination to stay active was shared by previous inhabitants.
Tony Blair hired “well-being coach” Steve Agyei, who also claims to have worked with Beyoncé, David Beckham and Jennifer Lopez, while Theresa May was said to enjoy weekly Crossfit sessions with trainer Lee Carnaby, based near her Berkshire constituency home.
“Any prime minister has to deal with extremely long days, which start very early, and there’s never a let up,” says Roberts. “What you don’t want to do is make them more exhausted – I’m doing damage limitation.”
He remembers playing a particularly “terrific” game of tennis with Cameron shortly after his 2015 general election win. “It was a way of him unwinding, and feeling healthy and well again after a busy schedule of campaigning. That was a highlight.”
Although he was used to exercising with the stars, working for the PM exposed Roberts to an unusually high degree of scrutiny. Paparazzi shots of the pair running through various London parks made their way into every paper, as did pictures of Roberts jogging with Cameron’s wife, Samantha.
Then there was
Cameron’s complex security detail, who had to keep up with the pair, wherever they went. “There are protocols that our clients face when outside – [Harry Jameson] will be briefed,” he said. “Some of the guys were super fit, so I’m sure they appreciated the ability to work out on the job.”
To cynics, politicians’ well-promoted fitness regimes may look like little more than PR exercises, designed to
make them appear human and active. In the run-up to last year’s Tory leadership contest, it became something of a joke to spot clips of Johnson, Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove out jogging.
But Roberts is adamant that his clients genuinely commit to doing the hard yards. “With David [Cameron], that was certainly the case, he was very passionate about making sure he was healthy and well.
“With Boris, it probably does make a good story, [but] I don’t think that’s his motivation. He’s been unwell and he’s keen to lead by example. He’s very open about that, and I think it’s a great message.”