Queen’s hunky great-nephew starts fitness class helping mental health in lockdown
The Queen’s great-nephew has got a lot of attention after starting online work-out classes with a friend – but don’t saying they’re coming for Joe Wicks.
As well as being 26th in line to the throne, Arthur Chatto, 21, is a trainer with Bound Fitness in Edinburgh which focuses on the mental health benefits of exercise as well as the physical.
He joined the company’s founder Kuda Tapatapa on Instagram Live for a workout and the pair of them got more notice than they may have expected, with headlines in Tatler and the Daily Mail.
Many of those tuning in seemed to be more interested in watching the video than participating, leaving comments such as ‘It looks like hard work . . . maybe take your top off’ and ‘omg yes beautiful’.
Some have suggested that their classes could rival those of ‘Body Coach’ Joe Wicks, who started a wildly successful series of online PE lessons during the first lockdown.
But Mr Tapatapa, who set up his fitness company after experiencing depression during university, told Metro.co.uk it wasn’t a competition, saying: ‘We’re in a completely different realm to Joe Wicks. Joe Wicks is doing his own thing and we’re doing our own thing as well.
‘So all the respect to Joe Wicks, and I think Arthur feels exactly the same.’
In an intro on Instagram, Mr Chatto wrote: ‘I’m a level 3 personal trainer, I specialise in strength and endurance training with a military focus.
‘I was lucky enough to row around the UK this summer! This gave me a lot of experience in training myself and the team to complete the challenging expedition.
‘I’ve found physical training to be an essential cornerstone in improving my own mental health and I want to share this with others.’
Mr Tapatapa, 23, said after their workout hit the headlines: ‘Going viral is fantastic, because it’s spreading a really positive message. We’re working to help people with their mental health so it’s great that we’re able to do so.’
He said he wasn’t nervous about the next live class despite the extra attention, as ‘we’re all qualified instructors and we all know what we’re doing. We’re quite excited.’
He said exercising to promote good mental health ‘has always been relevant, but it’s even more relevant now when we can’t see our loved ones and we’re stuck at home.
‘I think it’s so important to prioritise our mental health and really get through this difficult time together, as as a community.’
He said he wanted to ‘make people feel like they have somewhere to turn to’, adding: ‘Exercise is that one thing that can actually make us feel so much better and help us get through these difficult times’.
His company offers online fitness classes for a subscription fee – but makes some of them free to everyone to access.
If you want to join in with the next open class, Mr Tapatapa and Mr Chatto will be back on Instagram on Saturday at 11am.
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