My dad is 66 and he still runs all the time – and he’s decent at it! He says that he can’t relax until he’s got his run in, and I’m the same. We train not just for our bodies but for our heads. I played so much football when I was younger so I still love cardio and will do a run or incline treadmill walk after most weights sessions, or maybe three times a week if I am tight for time. Keeping the weight a bit lighter and the reps slow and controlled, with lots of reps per set and short rests between sets, is a great way to really damage the target muscle and feel that burn and get a pump. This doesn’t mean I lift heavy – I keep the weight lighter but do high-rep sets and focus on keeping each rep perfect and getting my breathing right. I like focusing on just one muscle group, and hitting it as hard as possible. I’ll lift weights five or six times a week, focusing on one body part per session. I’ve always trained by myself and while I am no expert, I have learned what works best for me. (Image credit: Grooming Laura Tucker) What’s your training approach? And I don’t mind a bit of pain – it means I’m working hard towards to being fitter or stronger or leaner. I love pushing myself and feeling my body really working hard, and when I’m in the zone I don’t think or care about anything else. I’m a big over-thinker, which I’m trying to channel into a positive thing, but exercise is the best way for me to get stress out of my system. Every time I started to feel a little anxious I’d put on my headphones and go for a run or go lift the weights, and I immediately felt much better. My brother has always been into his weights, and when I started I quickly found that training, whether that was weights or running, really helped me cope with my anxiety. When did you discover exercise as a way to cope with what was going on? That was really one of the big turning points, because she made me believe that I could take small steps in the right direction – like something so basic as going to a restaurant, which everyone loves doing, but for a long time I couldn’t even contemplate. On our first session I got really anxious and wanted to leave, but she got up and locked the door! She said she wanted me to prove to myself that I could stay and complete the session – and I did. I saw one therapist but it didn’t help, but then I met another one. And because I’d stopped playing football and going out I put on quite a bit of weight. But in my head I drew up a list of things that would never happen to me, like going on a date with a girl, let alone actually ever getting a girlfriend. I convinced myself that I was fine, and everything was fine, and I would always find an excuse not to go out. I managed to get a few GCSEs, but for about a year after my exams I barely left the house, just staying in my room, anxious and depressed. I still played football, which I loved, but got injured so I stopped playing. It went downhill quickly from there and I started to struggle at school. I was on a train to London, and just had a meltdown. I suffered my first proper panic attack, although I didn’t know what was happening at the time. But things got really bad when I was a bit older, around 15. So I never slept at mates’ houses and always wanted to be near her. I didn’t like strangers talking to her, and I couldn’t go to sleep unless I knew she was home and safe.
Fortunately she recovered, but it took a long time for her to get better, and I became incredibly protective of her. I just went into shock and didn’t really know what was going on. It started when I was nine and my mum went in for a routine operation but it went wrong.
The previous years had been hard, so it was a risk. I remember when I told my mum I was going to do the show, and she just said, “But I’ve only just got my son back”. My mum was in floods of tears and really didn’t want me to do it, because my parents thought exposing myself to criticism and nasty comments would send me back to square one.
I applied thinking I had no chance of getting on: 80,000 people tried out, but I just kept getting through round after round of interviews and then I was told I was going into the villa. I really wanted to do it, but my parents didn’t want me to because when I applied I had only just got back onto my feet after four of five years of depression and anxiety. Did you know what you were getting into when you applied for Love Island? I went through a break-up and that’s tough when it’s in public, but people have been very supportive, even when I wasn’t expecting it. Like when you wake up in the morning by yourself and see or read something about you on social media or one of the papers. Everyone sees the glitz and glamour, but it can be tough and lonely at times. Was it tough coming back to a totally different life?
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