Welsh bodybuilder star Anthony Stingl, 30, was once a young boy hiding his sexuality and facing bullies at school. Growing up at a time where he felt being a "gay man was something to be made fun of", he began isolating himself, trapped in a cycle of unhealthy eating habits.
But now Anthony, who goes by the nickname Welshy, has shared his transformation and the reality of being an online creator and the only openly gay Welshman to have reached the British bodybuilding finals. Raised in Penarth, Anthony said his interest in body building began when he was just three years old.
“There was a character on TV called Action Man and I was really fascinated with how he could look so muscular", he said. When Anthony joined secondary school, he faced constant bullying over his weight and rumoured sexuality, adding: “I remember when I was in school, I never came out and people would still always say ‘oh you're gay’ or use other derogatory terms. I look back at some shows on the TV back then and being a gay man was something to be made fun of.”
