Joe Wicks reveals he turned down BBC deal as he poses topless for Men's Health magazine

Joe Wicks has revealed he turned down a lucrative offer from the BBC to screen his PE Workouts.

The personal trainer - known as The Body Coach - has become a global hit with his online daily family exercise videos during lockdown and has raised over £500k for the NHS in advertising revenue from YouTube.

Wicks, 33, told Men’s Health magazine he had previously been turned down by Channel 4 when he approached them with an idea for a TV show.

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He added: “Fast forward to now, I've got Channel 4 asking me to stream these PE workouts live. I've got the BBC asking me to sign a contract. All these channels are now coming to me, and I've said, "Look, I want to do this on YouTube. I'm reaching more people. Why would I want to do it with you?”

The fitness guru, who has become something of a heartthrob since the success of PE With Joe, posed topless in a smouldering photoshoot for the magazine.

Wicks said he never intended to profit from the PE workouts, which he began on the first Monday after the UK closed all schools as part of the government lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “We didn't even consider it when we set out, which is why we quickly decided to donate that money to the NHS. It's a phenomenal amount of money and it just felt right, seeing as it was the community that built it. I didn't want people to think for a second that I had the intention of financially benefiting from any of this.”

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Wicks lives with wife Rosie Jones and their two children Indie, 23 months, and Marley, six months, and admitted exercise had helped get through the stresses and strains of living in lockdwon with a young family.

He said: “If I'm stressed from dealing with two screaming babies, I have to exercise, because it brings me back down a peg. It also gives me energy and boosts my mood. No HIIT, though – it's all low intensity. I might do 20 minutes on the bike, maybe a few weights.”