Joe Wicks has revealed he ‘could be interested’ in one day serving as health minister, adding it will take ‘more than a jab’ to lose weight and improve people’s lives.
The nation’s favourite work-out guru, nicknamed the Body Coach, also admitted he – like millions of others – battles to keep himself away from sugary foods, but said a life focused only on keeping trim without any treats is simply ‘no fun’ at all.
Wicks, 39, rose to prominence with his healthy eating cookbooks and PE With Joe workout routines, which became a staple in households across the nation during the Covid lockdowns.
He’s credited with motivating millions to shift unwanted pounds and is often compared to chef Jamie Oliver – a close friend of Wicks – over the zeal with which he encourages the nation to lead healthier lives.
When asked if he might consider helping to shape not just bodies, but also government policy on health issues, the fitness trainer seemed to hint he was interested – but only if he could effect real change for the nation.
In a frank interview with The Telegraph, he said: ‘My only fear is that you go down that path and nothing changes – and you might be disheartened.’
If he were to go down the policy making route, Wicks said that he would want to see people have sustainable lifestyle changes, not solutions that offer quick fixes.
He is keen to stress he is not against Wes Streeting’s idea of providing weight loss jobs for the unemployed, but the fitness coach said it was just as important for people to address the underlying issues they might have around food, rather than just shedding pounds to get them back into work.
Being healthy, he said ‘takes more than a jab’.
For his part, Wicks has worked hard to stay in peak physical shape, largely through a mix of cardio, high intensity and strength training, as well as following a healthy and balanced diet.
But amidst all this focus on his physical health, Wicks disclosed that he is not immune to having issues with sugar – and admitted he has to battle against his addiction for sweet treats.
The father-of-four candidly shared that if he drinks a can of Coke one night, he will want another one the next, while he struggles to keep himself from eating a whole tub of ice cream in one sitting.
Describing sugar as all-pervasive and found in most processed foods today, he said: ‘I don’t go looking for it. It comes looking for me.’
Wicks has previously spoken about his relationship with sweet and ultra-processed foods, admitting that he ‘ran on sugar’ as a child.
Appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Headliners podcast in April, Wicks said his love of Sunny Delight, Wagon Wheels and jam sandwiches caused behavioural issues when he was a youngster.
He told the podcast: ‘Looking back now, there’s no doubt the food I was eating was directly linked to my behaviour.’
Wicks claimed that a reliance on processed and unhealthy foods can lead to lack of energy and a struggle to focus in young people.
Wicks added: ‘The thing about them is we can eat so much, so fast, because they’re so palatable, we know these foods just taste amazing and we can consume so much of it.
‘And then we’re taught this is what kids eat, kids need these snacks in their lunchbox, this is what they have for dinner.
‘So, we’re kind of being confused and led down this path that adults have adult food and kids have kids menus and kids food.
‘And that’s the issue we’ve got because people are cooking less than ever and relying on these processed foods. It’s a shame, because kids are getting their energy sucked out of them.
‘They’re struggling at school with focus, they’re gaining weight, and probably having really low energy crashes because these foods are just not going to give your children the energy they need to sustain a healthy day — a balanced level of energy.’
Wicks, who grew up on a council estate in Surrey, has long spoken of the impact of his difficult upbringing.
His dad used heroin, while his mum struggled with multiple illnesses at different times, including OCD, anxiety and an eating disorder.
In a 2020 interview he also admitted his ‘behavioural issues’ as a child could have been linked ‘to my upbringing and not having a great start with my nutrition’.
He previously told the podcast: ‘When I talk about things, I don’t want to be someone who demonises all these foods because ultimately that got me through life.
‘I’m healthy now, I have a much healthier relationship with food.
‘But, I am passionate about it because when you look at the environment you live in and it’s supermarkets, schools, airports, train stations, hospitals, petrol stations — all you see is ultra-processed food (UPFs).
‘Ultimately these businesses are only driven by one thing which is profit and consumerism.’
If sugar is Wicks’ nemesis however, alcohol is not.
The fitness fanatic said he understands why people embrace the idea of Dry January for their physical and mental wellbeing, but it’s not one on his radar for 2025, because he has ‘quite a positive relationship’ with drinking.
With Wicks turning 40 next year, life is looking busier than ever.
His fitness plan business, The Body Coach, is going strong and he has become a celebrity supporter of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
The cause is one close to his heart, after his maternal grandmother, Carmela, was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s. She died in 2022 aged 89.
On 5 March, Wicks will see the launch of his new initiative – Movement Hour – when employers will be asked to give their staff an hour during the day to do some exercise.
He hopes it will encourage businesses to ‘revolutionise workplace wellness’.
Away from work, Wicks also has his hands full in the family home.
He and his 33-year-old wife Rosie, a former glamour model, have four children – daughters Indie, six and Leni, two; and sons Marley, five, and Dusty, who is six months old.
And there could yet be more pitter patter of more tiny feet in the Wicks household, though it might be his last foray into fatherhood.
He tellingly revealed: ‘I said to Rosie, let’s treat the fifth one as if it’s the final one, if it comes obviously…’