Joe Wicks accused of 'triggering eating disorders' over dangerous diet and 'relapse'

Fitness coach Joe Wicks has landed himself in hot water amid an ongoing backlash following his recent comments about banning sugar from his diet.

Fitness and health professionals have urged Joe, 39, to remove the post claiming it could ‘trigger eating disorders’ which were shared with his 4.8million followers on Instagram detailing his journey to eradicate sugar from his diet. Documenting his 'sugar free' programme, Joe revealed he’d gone 11 weeks without sugar before making a “confession” that he’d been going through what he called a 'relapse' and dubbing it an ‘addictive substance.’

Earlier this month, [5 August] he shared a video where he said: "Got a confession to make, I've had a relapse." He explained he was filming a celebrity special of Gladiators and was greeted by a "table full of sweets and chocolate". He added: "I had a bit of fruit to begin with and I cracked and guess what it was that done me? It was a packet of Jaffa Cakes which I haven't eaten for years."

Joe became a national icon during the Covid lockdown sharing free exercise videos for children, PE With Joe. He has claimed sugar for him is a “daily battle” and appeared to demonise fruit. The recommended government guideline is to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

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He said: "Sugar is a really addictive substance and I've almost seen it like this, right; when I had that first bit of sugar – I've had a bit of a wobble since then – I've been eating brownies, loads of fruit." He went on to list the fruit he'd eaten in a day before adding: "That ain't normal."

His comments have caused concern amongst industry professionals with fellow social media star, GP Dr Michael Mrozinski questioning how Joe has ‘not been cancelled’. He said: “You [Joe] should know better demonising a whole set of food groups. It could trigger people to have eating disorders."

TikTok star Joshua Hills, ANutr MSc Nutritionist, also criticised Joe, he said: "I feel sorry for Joe Wicks because he clearly doesn't have a positive relationship with food. And instead of working on it privately, he's using social media to keep himself accountable and encouraging millions to do the same with cutting out sugar. He clearly has a poor relationship with sugar.

"I'm fed up with people that the public trust encouraging poor and very disordered eating habits. Acting like they're extremely knowledgeable when it comes to nutrition."

Despite the criticism and pressure from fans commenting on his post urging him to remove them, Joe continued to share details of his sugar-free journey. Last week, Joe told his followers how to stay away from sugar. He said: "Most of my sugar binges are a response to stress or being tired. My brain craves it and when I start eating it I can't stop until it's gone. This isn't a new thing in my life, I've always done it even as a child but now I'm understanding myself a bit more. I grew up in a very stressful environment and the cupboards were always full of sweets and chocolate so it started early for me. I can now catch the thought when I'm feeling this way and make a different choice.”

Joe – who is worth an estimated £50million – has built an empire on his diet and fitness content. He began in 2014, launching The Body Coach TV on YouTube, which now has 2.88 million subscribers. He's published books including the Lean in 15 series, which broke records as the UK's biggest selling diet book. He was awarded an MBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours List for services to fitness and charity.

However, his recent comments have proven problematic amongst experts including The Traitors star Dr Amos Ogunkoya, a hospital doctor and sports and exercise medicine specialist registrar.

He told the Mirror : "Sugar can certainly trigger powerful cravings, especially in its refined and ultra-processed forms. It stimulates the brain’s reward system and releases dopamine, which is similar to what happens with addictive substances. However, from a clinical standpoint, sugar isn’t classified as truly addictive in the way drugs or alcohol are. What we’re often seeing is habitual and emotional eating rather than physiological dependence."

He added: "We need to be compassionate to Joe as, often people with problematic eating patterns may not have insight into their own biases and issues around food. Language like 'relapse' carries serious connotations and is usually used in the context of addiction or mental illness. Using it casually when talking about food can reinforce feelings of shame and failure, especially for people vulnerable to disordered eating. We should try not to moralise food."

Dr Amos added: "Demonising fruit overlooks the bigger picture and risks turning people away from one of the healthiest things they could be eating."

Meanwhile, Tom Quinn, Director of External Affairs at Beat, the UK's leading eating disorder charity, said: “Unfortunately, it's becoming very common to see details of restrictive diets being shared online. Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses which can be competitive in nature, so someone may well choose to copy what they see - or even eat less than the amount reported. If the diet information is shared by a public figure or someone working in the fitness industry, it can be particularly impactful.

"Those in the media industry should be aware the risks of making information about extremely restricted diets available to the public, and instead recognise the harmful impact this can have on people with eating disorders.

“Heavily restricting the amount of food you eat can be a warning sign of an eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious but they’re also treatable and making a full recovery is possible, so if you’re concerned about yourself or a loved one, please contact your GP at the very earliest opportunity."

The Mirror approached Joe's team for comment.

If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk