Joe Wicks admitted to having a “little cry” prior to his meeting with Princess Anne.
The 39-year-old fitness guru became a familiar face during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, thanks to his home workout sessions. As the country was compelled to self-isolate, Joe provided a consistent source of guidance for millions who could not visit the gym and sought to improve their mental health.
Subsequently, Joe launched his programme, The Body Coach, and continues to motivate millions daily by promoting a healthy lifestyle for adults and children. A year after his first livestream on March 23, 2020, Joe was nominated for the late Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Honours of 2020.
The Epsom-born internet sensation turned TV star was awarded an MBE by Anne, Princess Royal, in a ceremony at Windsor Castle. On this day, the King’s sister spent approximately six hours recognising those who had been honoured while also learning about the individuals she was meeting.
“I don’t live too far, everyone laughed, everyone was jumping out of Mercedes and big cars, me and Nicky got out of an Uber,” Joe chuckled. In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, he disclosed: “I took my brother Nicky because all through the lockdown workouts, he was in my ear, we had the shoutouts so we had the AirPods in, he’d ring me and I’d keep it in my ear. It was a joint effort”, reports the Mirror.
“Every single day, I was there doing it with him, so we went together.”
Joe disclosed that owing to his surname Wicks, he was among the last to meet royalty due to the event following alphabetical order. He detailed how the extensive list, as the Royal Family compensated for ceremonies missed during the pandemic, meant a five-hour wait before he encountered Zara Tindall’s mother.
“I got a bit emotional in the last room building up to it,” Joe shared.
He added, “I was so proud and nervous. I had a little cry and then obviously walked up to Princess Anne. She was so lovely. She asked, ‘So Mr. Wicks, tell me, have you finally recovered from all those workouts in lockdown? ‘ That put me at ease. It was great that she knew about it. It was really nice, and then I received the MBE, which I’m truly honoured by.”
But Joe claims that despite aiding millions, the thought of recognition never crossed his mind, though he admits it’s a “lovely” way to honour his efforts. The profound effect Joe left on individuals became evident recently while running in Margate, attending a roller disco held by ASDA.
“Somebody at the end said ‘You saved my life in lockdown,'” he recounted from an interaction with a fan. He expressed: “It always means so much because they really mean it.”
A woman confided in Joe that his home exercise sessions helped her overcome a “dark” period during the lockdowns.
He expressed: “When you hear that, you remember the connection that you had with people. It really is really special, I’m proud of that, I’m proud of my impact during that time, even though it was a really difficult thing.”
His role as a father influenced Joe’s decision to join forces with Asda’s Rollback campaign. The supermarket behemoth is cutting prices on numerous weekly essentials, with over 4,000 products seeing an average reduction of 25%.
He stated: “It’s very much linked to my mission, which is trying to get people in the kitchen inspired to cook again because a lot of people are struggling with it. And also just to put good food on the table for them, when they do that, it’s so beneficial to their mental health, their mood, their energy.
“This is this is a partnership really about that. Can we take that mission and that message to customers in reality, you know, cheaper shopping, you might see the advert of me on the treadmill the Rollback advert, we’re bringing the roll back and making Asda the place to go for a family shop on a budget.”