Joe Wicks, the nation's favourite fitness coach, has revealed how a childhood marked by poverty, addiction and anxiety forged his relentless drive, ultimately leading him to redefine success as the simple stability he never had.
A Childhood Defined by Scarcity and Chaos
Born in Epsom in 1985, Wicks grew up in a one-bedroom council flat where family life was turbulent. His father battled a heroin addiction, with much of the family's benefit money funding his habit, while his mother, who had left home at 15, struggled with eating disorders, anxiety and OCD.
The family diet consisted largely of ultra-processed foods: potato waffles, baked beans, spaghetti hoops and frozen pies. "I had unlimited access to a cupboard full of chocolate, crisps, Iced Gems and Wagon Wheels," Wicks recalls, admitting he still struggles to eat junk food in moderation as an adult.
Home was a place of strict rules and tension. "I was quite on edge," he says, describing a clean, quiet house where he felt unable to make noise or have friends over. This anxiety spilled into school, where he was hyperactive, struggled academically, and frequently landed in detention.
Finding Solace in Movement and Building a Business
His teenage years were the hardest, as he became acutely aware of his father's relapses. It was during puberty that he discovered running as a crucial release for his feelings, often jogging two miles to school. "Nobody talked about mental health back then, but I knew I was calmer once I’d done some exercise," he explains.
Determined to be his own boss, Wicks started running early morning boot camps in his mid-20s, sometimes setting up in the freezing rain with no one turning up. His persistence paid off, and the business eventually peaked at an income of around £1,000 a month.
Then social media changed everything. By 2014, he had 50,000 Instagram followers, leading to a publisher's approach. Despite having no confidence in his academic abilities, his first book, Lean in 15, became a phenomenal success, selling 1.4 million copies.
Lockdown Stardom and a New Definition of Success
Wicks's career reached a new stratosphere during the Covid-19 pandemic. Days before the first UK lockdown was announced, he conceived the idea for PE With Joe, a daily live workout on YouTube. In a dramatic twist, he broke his hand in a motorbike accident just before the first broadcast but went ahead regardless, wearing a brace.
The first session attracted nearly a million live connections, and he continued the daily workouts without fail, raising more than £1 million for charity and later receiving an MBE for his efforts.
Today, for Joe Wicks, success is no longer measured in book sales or followers. "Success to me is stability and connections," he states. "Having nice food, and the heat and gas on – the things that I didn’t experience as a kid." Now a married father of four, his main focus is being a present husband and dad, consciously creating memories with his own family and his parents.
He reflects with empathy on his chaotic upbringing: "I now have a better understanding of everything my parents were going through. I know addiction wasn’t a choice for Dad." His journey from a food-stained child in Epsom to a wellness icon is a powerful testament to resilience and the redefinition of what truly matters.
