"Joe Wicks Opens Up About Struggles with Confidence Amid Public Backlash, Fat Jabs, and Homeschooling Challenges"

GETTING the nation fit and healthy is his passion – but there’s been a few bumps in the road of late.

In our exclusive chat, talks overcoming controversy, fatherhood challenges, turning 40 and whether he’ll have baby number five with his model wife .

In our exclusive chat, Joe Wicks opens up about the public backlash that ‘knocked his confidence’Credit: Mark Hayman His C4 programme sparked debate about food affordability and saw the dad-of-four accused of scaremongeringCredit: Mark Hayman

FOR a long time, Joe Wicks could do no wrong. He was the nation’s PE teacher during – our cheerful constant during lockdown, pumping out daily live workouts that and mentally afloat.

But recently, Joe, AKA The Body Coach, has side-stepped into a new lane as a public-health campaigner – and not everyone has been supportive.

In October, he fronted ’s hard-hitting documentary Joe Wicks: Licensed To Kill, in which he created a spoof additive-laden “killer” protein bar to expose the dangers of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

The programme sparked debate about food affordability and saw the dad-of-four accused of scaremongering, as well as making parents feel judged for using convenience foods.

It echoed the backlash faced in 2005 during his crusade, and cost Joe thousands of his 4.7 million followers – a fallout he didn’t see coming.

“I wasn’t prepared for it, emotionally,” he says. “It definitely knocked my confidence. For a week, I was like, ‘Have I done the wrong thing?’

Staying fit and lean takes work – you won’t get it from an injection

“But more and more research will show this link between UPFs and poor health. I hate upsetting people – I actually want to empower and inspire – but sometimes you say things the wrong way or people are triggered by an emotional topic. Ultimately, all I’m trying to do is get people to be healthier, but people won’t always love what you do.”

was reminded of that over the summer when he posted Instagram tips for staying fit and healthy on holiday, including exercising every day and making healthy choices at the all-inclusive buffet.

Some appreciated the advice, others complained it made them “feel like you’re doing everything wrong”.

Surely, for one week a year, frazzled parents can gorge guilt-free on pancakes and piña coladas?

“Of course they can, but you’re going to feel it when you come back. You’re going to be struggling with your exercise, your fitness, your . It has a knock-on effect,” says Joe. “It’s a week where you can take care of your health or you can go the other way.

“I just try to lead by example and show what my kids eat, because it’s important to eat as a family and promote positive messages in a role-model way, not, ‘If you ain’t doing this, you’re failing’. That’s not what I’m trying to do.”

Do his kids – Indie, seven, Marley, six, Leni, three, and 18-month-old Dusty – eat any ?

“Of course! They love it. If they had the chance, they’d be the fussiest eaters on earth, but they don’t get that choice, because we only make one meal. Look, I still have chocolate and ice cream, I love eating out and cakes, but it’s not an everyday occurrence.”

As a side-note, at a time when fat jabs are an increasingly popular choice for controlling junk-food intake, Joe argues the ultimate long-term solution remains regular exercise and healthy cooking.

“I don’t judge anyone who’s eating [junk food]. I just think it’s about people finding their own path,” he says.

“These [] can help in the short-term, but long-term, how does it affect your psychology around food? How does it change your lifestyle? Are you still exercising? There’s more to it than just appetite suppressants.

“Staying fit and lean and strong and healthy takes a lot of work, and you’re not going to get that from an injection.

“We’re a really unhealthy nation. Most people really struggle with this stuff, but I’ll always promote healthy cooking and regular home workouts as a solution, because then you can really transform your mind and body.”

This is the spirit behind Joe Wicks: New Year’s Day – a prime-time special, airing on January 1, to get the nation moving positively into 2026.

C4 documentary Joe Wicks: Licensed To Kill saw him accused of scaremongering, as well as making parents feel judged for using convenience foodsCredit: Shutterstock Joe with wife Rosie and their four childrenCredit: Instagram

It will feature appearances from guest chefs, including , and singer-songwriter , who recently had a major lifestyle overhaul and who joins Joe for a workout. And according to Joe, Olly’s buff physique put him to shame.

“We had the same top on and my arms looked all loose and saggy, and his looked really tight. I said, ‘Your arms are massive, mate. Give me some tips, Olly – you’re the real Body Coach!’”

For Joe, hosting his very own TV show for the first time was somewhat daunting.

“I’ve done a couple of documentaries, but I’ve never had a proper series where I’m presenting something myself,” he says. “It was definitely out of my comfort zone and I was really nervous. I was thinking, ‘Am I annoying? Am I doing a good job?’ But when I watched it back, I was actually really happy with it.”

Homeschooling works for us, but it’s not easy

Back in 2012, Joe made his first TV appearance as a contestant on Channel 4 game show The Bank Job.

At the time, the ex-teaching-assistant was running fitness boot camps in parks across south-west . A year later, he joined Instagram as @TheBodyCoach and found fame after coining the hashtag #Leanin15 and posting high-energy home workouts and 15-second cooking demos.

A book deal followed and he has since published 13 cookbooks, including his latest, Protein In 15, plus a trilogy of children’s books called The Burpee Bears.

He has also made a documentary, Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood, about how his parents’ issues affected him as a child, and his most recent Channel 4 documentary, Joe Wicks: Licensed To Kill.

Over the lockdowns, Joe’s workouts amassed more than 100 million views, and he was awarded a Guinness World Record for the most viewers for a fitness live stream, after his content raised more than £500,000 for Charities Together.

Channel 4 invited him to stream live and the BBC offered him a contract, but Joe stuck to YouTube, committed to reaching as many kids as possible.

But with health and wellness content now flooding social media, is telly a more appealing destination for his content?

“Social media has become so saturated, I’m looking at traditional media, thinking, ‘Actually, with TV and radio and print media, it’s important to do a bit of everything’,” says Joe, explaining the ITV New Year’s Day special is “a working pilot” to see how people respond.

“It could open up new doors. I’ve never been a TV presenter, but if it’s received really well, maybe there’s potential for a longer series,” he adds.

“Nothing is set in concrete, but it would be the dream.”

I hate upsetting people – I actually want to empower and inspire – but sometimes you say things the wrong way or people are triggered by an emotional topic, says JoeCredit: Mark Hayman Over the pandemic lockdowns, Joe’s workouts amassed more than 100 million viewsCredit: PA

If he’s busy trying to get us all fit, he’s possibly even busier at home in , where he and his , 35, homeschool their eldest two children.

On top of two days of forest school and piano lessons, Rosie teaches them maths, English, science and on-the-go learning in museums, while Joe takes care of sport, music and reading. In place of screens are old-school textbooks.

Travel is a priority, too. The family recently went on a three-week holiday to Bali.

“It’s really about spending as much time with them while they’re little,” says Joe, clarifying that he isn’t against mainstream schooling. “I love school and think teachers are amazing. If they desperately want to go, I’m not going to deprive them. At the moment, it works for us and it’s an incredible freedom, but it’s not easy.”

Any parent who might wince at the thought of personally educating their little ones again.

“Parenting is the hardest thing on earth. They push your buttons,” Joe says.

I like growing old. I’m getting to enjoy my children and be a bit wiser

“Kids are the most annoying things, but I love them and I chose to be a dad-of-four, and I chose to homeschool, and I choose this family, so I have to roll with the ups and downs.”

Reflecting on his own upbringing with a drug-addict father and a mother with mental illness, Joe recalls a home life on a council estate that was “shouty, very chaotic and arguments were commonplace”.

He adds: “I don’t want to be that parent, but it makes you realise what it takes to be a good dad and how much patience and tolerance you need.

“Sometimes I respond well, other times I’m like a toddler and respond in the way they’re talking to me, but it’s acknowledging that if I do raise my voice, if I walk out the room, I always come back and apologise. That’s the most important thing.”

Would he and Rosie ever add a fifth mini Wicks to the mix?

“I do still love the idea of another baby, but this is all on Rosie because she’s said, ‘Look, I’m not ready.’ She’s 35 now. She’s got time, but at the moment, it’s not on the cards.”

The same is true for an “at home with the Wicks family” reality TV show, which Joe insists wouldn’t sit comfortably with fiercely private Rosie, who would really prefer it if Joe stopped posting about the children online altogether.

Since becoming a dad, family-focused content has been a pillar of Joe’s brand, but as his kids get older, he says he feels “less inclined to share” them online.

There were no photos of their Bali trip on Instagram, and this year’s big family – Joe and Rosie are hosting 20 people, including business partner older brother Nikki, 41, and younger brother George, 30 – will likely be private.

“I’m trying to have more moments where I really detach from the phone and think, ‘There’s no rush right now. Don’t be in a rush to put them to sleep and just read two pages, read the whole book and enjoy it.’ Time goes quickly, and before you know it, they’re so grown-up.”

Strictly or I’m A Celebrity? Right now, neither. But ask me again in 10 years’ time

On the subject of age, Joe turned 40 in September and celebrated by sharing a weekend with 20 close pals at a property “somewhere up north”, which Rosie organised as a surprise.

“We had a pool, silent disco, quiz and a nice barbecue. It was beautiful. I really loved it,” smiles Joe, who is quite content about hitting the milestone birthday.

“I like growing old. I’m not someone who’s scared and regretting it, because I’m getting to enjoy my children, be a bit wiser and not care as much about things. There’s more meaning to life than when you’re running around in your 20s and 30s.”

Last January, Joe made a .

It was a “fun” experience but Joe insists he has no desire for anything long-term.

“Nah, it’s not for me,” he says. “You’ve really got to live and breathe that world to want to be a full-time Dragon. I just don’t think I’m at that point of success, either.”

Joe receiving an MBE after his content raised more than £500,000 for NHS Charities TogetherCredit: PA

The facts suggest otherwise. With a personal net worth of around £55million, Joe is eager to grow The Body Coach app he launched in 2020, and continue “working with children, getting into more schools” to “keep the mission going”.

On New Year’s Day there will be a double dose of that message – as well as his TV show, he’s also appearing in the BBC’s Gladiators Celebrity Special alongside , and Vogue Williams.

He says he signed up because he loved the show as a child and knows the positive influence of showing kids “fit, motivated, strong human beings doing crazy stuff”.

Would he ever do or ? “I can’t dance and I don’t really want to be away from the kids for three weeks so, right now, I would never agree to those things,” he replies, before adding: “But ask me again in 10 years’ time!”

Like the best of us, Joe Wicks is always evolving and growing, but he is determined to stick to his one true passion – helping the nation get healthy and feel good any way he can – even when life throws a few bumps in the road.

• Watch Joe Wicks: New Year’s Day, ITV and ITVX