Joe Wicks opens up on father's drug addiction and how it motivated his life choices

Joe Wicks has opened up about his father's heroin addiction and how it led him to pursue a different path in life as he aimed to avoid the same kind of future for himself.

Wicks, aka the Body Coach, explained how he and his elder brother Nikki pursued fitness instead.

"Because of my dad's addiction, and the damage I saw that cause, me and Nikki steered clear of it," he shared on Russell Brand's Under the Skin podcast.

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"We weren't smoking weed, we were training, exercising and playing sport. Along the line, I decided that wasn't going to be my destiny - that wasn't going to be my path."

The father-of-two added that he has more of a positive relationship with his parent now compared to his childhood where his dad went in and out of rehab.

"Now, when my dad's going through a low period, I'm texting him and ringing him and asking how he is - I'm not judging him for being an addict," he explained.

Wicks added that his father relapses "all the time" but that when he's going through a tough time, he encourages him to exercise.

The 33-year-old has been espousing the benefits of exercise via his live streamed PE lessons every weekday morning.

Wicks has been delivering a workout for the past two weeks as he encourages people up and down the country - as well as overseas - to get active in the morning as the UK remains in lockdown over the coronavirus.

His two-year-old daughter Indie has made an unexpected appearance during one of his videos as she ran into view during one routine.

He’s also parent to three-month-old son Marley, whom he shares with wife Rosie Jones.