It’ll always be Chico time for the Welsh-born performer
IT’S been 15 years since X Factor star Chico first hit our screens with his larger-than-life personality and catchphrase: “It’s Chico time”.
The Bridgend-born entertainer became known for his energetic performances – he did jump into Sharon Osbourne’s pool while still holding the mic after all – and went on to make it to the live shows, eventually finishing in fifth place.
But the 48-year-old has come a long way since his X Factor days. He’s now devoted dad to 13-year-old Lalla-Khiara and Zacharia, nine, and is more likely to be found at a meditation retreat than on stage.
Now living in Hertfordshire, Chico is keen to inspire people across the globe to get involved with his new workout programme Block Fit, something he decided to try his hand at after losing his life savings five years ago and suffering a stroke in 2018.
He said: “In 2014 I lost my life savings – every penny I had ever made. I was thinking about what I could do next – I’m not the sort of person to sit and dwell.
“I sort of had an epiphany. I love music and I love fitness and that’s how I came up with Block Fit.
“It’s inspired by my two heroes, Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. It’s a combination of combat, dance, and HIIT and there’s a big emphasis on wellness. My philosophy is to get from A to B in the shortest time with maximum impact. I’ve picked what works and got rid of the rest.
“But I’m Chico, I’m a ball of energy, and that’s what Block Fit is all about. I’ve also become more spiritually aware and that is reflected in what I do.”
Chico – whose real name is Yousseph Slimani – said he wanted to create a programme that was “complete” so even came up with the moves and created the music himself.
“We started with a couple of classes and they went well and it just grew and grew,” he said. “We’ve trained hundreds of licensed instructors to give Block Fit classes, which is incredible and something I never thought would happen.
“Since then my team and I have moved on to Chico’s Block Fit Party, which is a weekend of fitness and wellbeing. There will be something like 50 classes over the weekend, some of which I’ll give myself, and there will be a lot of entertainment and fun.
“We’ve also come up with Block Fit Retreats, which is where we combine Block Fit with culture and mindfulness. We have one coming up in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. I’m really excited about that because I’ll be going back to Morocco, which is where my family is from.”
While building up a fitness empire is undoubtedly impressive, it’s even more so given that Chico suffered a lifethreatening stroke less than two years ago.
It turned out that a large blood clot on his brain had caused the stroke.
But despite the severity of his health scare he went on to make a full recovery – something he puts down to his positive mindset and family.
Talking of the stroke, he said: “I was driving in my car along and I was on the phone to my wife.
“Suddenly I started to have this out-of-body experience. I thought it was an awakening, a near-death experience. I could see my daughter but she was older – it was like I was looking into the future. I started to lose touch with reality. I’d never felt anything like it.
“I didn’t know it was a stroke. I went to the hospital and it took a few days before it really hit me. It was tough – I didn’t know if I would be able to perform again.
“Luckily I’ve made a 100% recovery and it’s completely changed my outlook on life. I couldn’t be more thankful for my family, my beautiful wife Daniyela and my children.”
While Chico was born in Bridgend, he spent much of his youth in Morocco where he worked on his father’s farm as a goat herder.
Most of his family still live in Morocco and it’s where he began performing.
But despite his upbringing abroad, Chico said Wales still has a special place in his heart. He said: “I left Bridgend before I turned one so, unfortunately, I don’t have any memories in Bridgend.
“I went to live in Morocco until I was 14 and then I came back to the UK.
“Even though I didn’t grow up in Bridgend, I feel a strong connection to Wales.
“It feels like home – I feel the connection in my heart.
“When I’m in Wales it feels like it’s where I’m supposed to be.”
Many people assume that Chico is his given name but it’s actually a nickname that only took hold when he was in his early 20s and working as a topless model.
He said: “It actually came about when I was a little kid. We knew this Spanish couple and they would call me Cheeky Chico. It wasn’t something anyone else called me, and I grew out of the name.
“It wasn’t until I was doing modelling it came back. I was modelling for what was essentially page three, and the photographer asked me for my name.
“I told her, ‘It’s Yousseph Slimani’ and she was like, ‘It’s what?’ so I repeated it and she went, ‘Do you have a nickname or something?’.
“I said, ‘Oh, yeah, you can call me Chico’. It’s a pretty funny story. My family in Morocco still call me Yousseph though.”
Even though it’s been more than a decade since he beat Madonna to number one with It’s Chico Time, the fitness guru said he still gets recognised by fans in the street.
He said: “I still get recognised all the time. I still gig – I perform and I do DJ sets.
“When I was on the X Factor my audience was mostly younger people and their families and now they’ve grown up and are the people that I’m performing to in clubs. In a way my audience has grown with me, which is incredible.
“Of course I still perform Chico Time – how could I not?
“I know some performers don’t like singing their older stuff, but it’s what got me where I am today and it’s what people want. When people see Chico they want to see Chico Time and I still love performing it. It will never get old for me.
“I love what I’m doing now – I’m a father to two beautiful children and I’ve created Block Fit but I’m never going to give up performing, ever.
“I’m Chico and I always will be that person.”