There was only one place Joe Wicks wanted to head to after 19 weeks of his pandemic fitness sessions – Scotland.
The 36-year-old Surrey fitness trainer, known as the Body Coach, had become part of daily life for thousands of families during the Covid lockdowns.
He began his daily YouTube livestream sessions in March 2020 when a planned tour of schools had to be cancelled because of the virus.
With support from his wife Rosie, mum to his daughter Indie, four and son Marley, two, PE with Joe became a lockdown must-watch for families.
Even a broken bone in his hand after he fell off a bike didn’t stop him, or even when he needed surgery at the start of that May after his hand became infected.
But by July 2020, Joe, who had become known as the nation’s PE teacher and captured the British spirit like Captain Tom Moore’s garden fundraiser, needed a break.
He wanted to head for the hills. And there’s no better hills to clear your head than Scotland’s.
With dad Gary and younger brother George, Joe enjoyed a week motorbiking around Scotland – camping and swimming in lochs. He admitted: “I was pretty exhausted by that point.
“I find it peaceful riding a motorbike. I like doing little tours with my dad and younger brother.
“I’ve not travelled to that part of the world but I was blown away. I’ve been to Australia, around Europe and Costa Rica, but I think visually Scotland is the most spectacular.”
They flew up from London, picking up their bikes which they’d sent up before them to ride through Glen Coe to John O’Groats and along the coast.
He said: “It’s always said the higher north the friendlier the people seem and in the Highlands everyone was super warm and really welcoming. I’m very fond of Scotland.”
While model wife Rosie is expecting their third child in September, Joe is already planning a Scottish holiday for the family using a friend’s campervan.
He said: “My wife Rosie’s mum is from Broughty Ferry so we have a connection to Scotland.
“I can’t wait to take the kids on forest hikes up in the Highlands.
“We had lovely weather when we did the bike tour but I know it can rain, so we will pick a day later in the summer.”
While he’s thinking about the family trip, Joe himself will be back up to Scotland much sooner.
He's currently on a seven-date tour of the UK with his PE with Joe in Somerset which will finish in Scotland with two dates – Thirlestane Castle, Lauder in the Scottish Borders on Friday and Scone Palace near Perth on Saturday.
It’s his second PE with Joe tour, following last year’s which went to Dundas Castle, West Lothian.
Scotland has had a long-running debate about our weight and general health but over Zoom, Joe stressed: “People want to give countries or cities labels but it’s meaningless.
“What we should be doing is finding out how we help that area.
“It comes down to deprivation. There’s a big link between personal income and food choices and exercise activities. It’s much bigger than just being about a government or a politician.”
While Joe is building a happy life for his wife and children, his own childhood was anything but, and he has admitted he had constant anxiety growing up because his father was a heroin addict and his mum Raquela suffered severe OCD.
In his documentary Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood, the fitness expert revealed how his mum left him in the care of his heroin addict father when he was 12 to get help for her OCD.
His parents are now better and Joe found his own escape with PE, making him determined to help any child to find strength through exercise and eating well. And he does it by example.
He said: “Young children around the world are claiming they can’t go to school, they are suffering from anxiety, body dysmorphia, self harming and are under social media pressure.
“We all have to come together. There’s a lot of factors being blamed but adults have to be role models.
“I’m my children’s role model. I have to show them that I’m exercising and eating well.”
Of course while haggis and whisky may be the tartan-tinted view of Scotland, we have become infamous recently for deep fried Mars bars.
Joe scoffed: “I think it’s a gimmick. People might like to try it once but I doubt everyone in Scotland is eating deep fried Mars bars every day.”
Joe will always be remembered, like Captain Tom Moore, for his part in inspiring Brits during the Covid pandemic.
The work-out wonder said: “I didn’t really realise at the time what I was doing.
“It was only when it ended that I began to absorb the impact it had because of all the letters and cards.
“I’m proud of it. I think it will always be my career-defining moment. I can’t see me topping it. It feels I was there when everybody needed me.”
Of course, while he was bringing the country together, the Tory Government was flouting its own laws as the Partygate scandal later revealed.
Joe, who was awarded an MBE for his work during lockdown, has no desire to go into politics himself despite his fanbase and won’t be drawn into how he felt about Boris Johnson.
He said: “I’m always about positivity. I don’t focus on negativity.
“During PE with Joe I never mentioned lockdown or Covid. I just wanted people to forget what was going on and have a 30-minute workout where they didn’t feel anxious.”
For two years Joe kept spirits high and brought families together with his online workouts on three lockdown occasions.
He also used it to raise vital funds for Children in Need including over £2million for a 24-hour televised workout and £50,000 for his last PE with Joe road trip. He’s raising money for them again during the new tour.
And while we are out of lockdown Joe is still passionate about getting people moving.
He said: “I’m a decade into this and feel now I’m making an impact with people. During lockdown people were stuck indoors so I did PE with Joe. But I really want children and families to carry on with that mission.
“I don’t want to give it up and it ends up just a moment in time in the past.
“I want families to still enjoy exercising together and can’t wait to see everyone, young and old, in Scotland.”
● PE with Joe Wicks and MINI Tour starts tomorrow and comes to
Scotland on Friday at Thirlestane Castle, Lauder and on Saturday at Scone Palace near Perth. For details and how to get tickets go to: www.mini.co.uk/pewithjoe
