My father’s mistakes helped me become a better dad

Ahead of his new documentary, Joe Wicks reveals how his parents’ struggles with mental health issues and addiction have made him the man he is today

He inspired countless families with his lockdown workouts.

He’s sold over four million books that help people live a healthier lifestyle. And now he’s on a mission to raise awareness about the country’s mental health crisis.

Some call him The Body Coach, others might think he’s superman but when we catch up with Joe Wicks, he’s “just Joe”.

After a family holiday in Los Angeles, Joe is busy touring the UK to help inspire young people through his love of exercise. We managed to catch up with him for a chat to discuss his new BBC One documentary Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood.

Joe, 36, told us that the film was “tough to make”. He admitted it was originally meant to be about the relationship between mental health and exercise but morphed into something “much more personal”. The hour-long film examines Joe’s “chaotic” childhood and looks at the ways his parents’ mental health problems and addictions affected him.

Joe’s dad Gary, 62, was addicted to heroin, while his mum Raquela, 56, lived with an eating disorder and OCD during his tough childhood.

He said: “My mum and I argued a lot because it was so intense with her OCD. We couldn’t bring friends over, everything had to be clean and we couldn’t make noise. It was like living in an IKEA showroom.”

He also revealed the extent of his dad’s addictions, and said: “Every time my dad said he was ‘popping to the shop for milk’, I knew he was going to score heroin because he never came back with milk.

“I remember being really upset every time he relapsed. I hated how drugs took him away from me.”

Looking back at his time on the Epsom council estate where he grew up, he said: “There was no way on earth I ever thought I’d get out of that situation. When you’re in that world, you don’t ever think it’s going to change. I wasn’t ambitious. I didn’t have expectations of myself.

“As a young kid, I was really disruptive and I couldn’t concentrate. When I became a teenager I got really angry because I began to understand my dad’s addiction. That was the hardest part for me.”

However, in spite of the challenges he’s had to overcome, Joe holds nothing against his parents.

He said: “Understanding what they’ve both been through has helped me move on. I’ve repaired my relationships with both of them and now we’re better than ever.

“Plus, I think everything my mum taught me, and even my dad’s mistakes, have helped me become a better husband and a better dad.”

Joe is married to model Rosie Jones, 31, with whom he has two children, Indie, who’s almost four, and Marley, two.

Reflecting on the differences between Indie and Marley’s upbringing and his own, Joe said: “My kids have a very different life to me. They’re never going to know what it was like to live on a council estate and not have the heating on. But I still want to teach them that not everyone lives the way we do.” lIf you’ve been affected by the issues raised, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline. For information on Our Time and their work supporting young people who have a parent with a mental illness, visit ourtime.org.uk