Entertainment
Joe Wicks addresses calls for him to receive knighthood a year after lockdown PE classes: ‘I could never imagine it’
Joe Wicks is as humble as you’d expect about the mounting calls for him to receive a knighthood for his incredible work during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Body Coach guru inspired young people across the country to keep active during the first lockdown in March 2020 when schools shut down. His first PE With Joe class hit the ground running attracting a staggering 2.3million viewers in the first few hours, and he’s been keeping the nation on their feet ever since with more than 100m tuning in.
In October, it was announced that Joe would be made an MBE on the Queen’s birthday honours list after raising £580,000 for the NHS through his classes but many others said that he deserved a knighthood.
Addressing the petitions, Joe told Metro.co.uk ahead of the second season of his BBC Sounds podcast: ‘People were joking going “Sir Wicks” and stuff but I could never imagine that and it’s not something I’m on a quest to get.
‘I just think if you keep doing good things for the world and I continue to help people and do the right things, then great things happen.’
He added: ‘It’s certainly not a mission in life like, “I need to get a Sir or Knighthood before I die”.’
PE With Joe will likely be less frequent now with lockdown measures easing but the fitness trainer’s impact on the country will be hard to forget.
‘It’s been a wild ride really from that moment I launched PE with Joe on that Monday morning, I never knew how long I was going to do it for but it was bonkers wasn’t it,’ Joe recalled.
‘I loved that people were coming together live when we were all in a really emotional time. I knew straight away this was going to be something that would really help people. It was nerve-wracking but it also felt amazing the support people were showing for it.’
‘It’s really my greatest achievement,’ he added.
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Aside from bringing the country together in fitness, Joe, 34, is proud to have also made a change within his household, consisting of wife Rosie Jones, and their children; Indie, two, and Marley, one.
‘It’s really formed a wonderful culture in our house of fitness,’ Joe revealed. ‘I do my workouts, Rosie goes up and does hers, the kids are sometimes with us. Sometimes they’re watching us, sometimes they get involved so I know that they’re learning.
‘We’re teaching them that mummy and daddy are exercising and they’re happier, they’re not stressed. That’s rubbing off on them every single day.
‘We set challenges together and it’s a really fun atmosphere when we exercise together.’
Joe’s BBC Sounds podcast returns this month with yet another slate of impressive guests, including Sir Tom Jones, Melinda Gates, Russell Brand and Sam Claflin.
It was the chance to interview his lifelong hero, Sir Tom, which is among Joe’s highlights of the podcast so far.
‘They wanted to do it face-to-face and it was the best thing that could happen. I was quite nervous but he was such a warm, gentle and calm guy that I felt really relaxed with him,’ he recalled.
Joe added of the series: ‘It pins it back to what’s the one thing you do for your physical and mental health and we learn from each guest what they do to stay fit, healthy and happy.’
Season two of The Joe Wicks Podcast will be available from Monday, May 10 on BBC Sounds.
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