Radio star Mike Toolan has shared the startling results of his body transformation – after undertaking a strict diet and fitness schedule with his radio co-host Gemma Atkinson’s personal trainer.
Mike, host of Hits Radio’s afternoon show alongside Strictly star Gemma, said he decided at the end of last year he needed to shape up. And so he signed up to be tasked by trainer “Evil Steve” Chambers who Gemma has regularly spoken about on the airwaves over the years.
Mike headed to the Ultimate Performance gym in Manchester for one of its 12 week transformations. Now, he’s shared the results of his shape up, dropping an impressive 20lbs in weight, and shedding his body fat percentage from 19.72% to a lean 12.79%.
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Explaining why he wanted to make the changes, Mike said: “I probably had the energy levels of a tortoise, and I resembled a dropped lasagne physically.
“I wasn’t happy at all with the way I looked, and I think I said when I first came to Ultimate Performance, my one immediate goal was to be able to, in the summertime, take my shirt off and not feel embarrassed.
“And that, 100 percent, is something that I can do now. I think when you post pictures on Instagram or whatever, or anyone takes a picture of you, and I think I was aware that I was like: “oh God, I don’t like the way I look in that one or that one or that one, and that one’s not so good.”
“I just thought: “oh God, I really, for the first time in years, I thought, I really don’t feel happy with the way I look.” So, this was perfect timing for me.”
Manchester-based Mike, who alongside his work on radio does acting and presenting work, said he was keen to feel “relaxed” about his body again.
Mike Toolan before and after his 12-week body transformation -Credit:Ultimate Performance/Mike Toolan
He said: “With TV presenting and with acting and with lots of live work, you’re putting yourself in front of people all the time.
“So, I just thought, well, particularly being an actor actually, or a TV presenter, you’re going to get more work and you’re going to open yourself up to more avenues if you’re the best possible version of you. So purely even outside of the whole confidence thing, I think for me in my career, how you look is really important. So, I think that was a really big part of it.”
Mike says after posting about his work in the gym on his social media accounts, he has been buoyed by positive comments from followers. He started at 197lbs and is now down to 177lbs after his diet and fitness regime.
He says: “As you know, people are very open with their opinions on social media going both ways, and when I’ve posted the various training-related posts over the last few months, it’s been really, really encouraging from the people who follow me on Instagram, which is great. It’s always nice to hear, isn’t it? It’s not a big-headed thing, but when someone says: “oh wow, you look really good”, now, it’s like, “oh wow, thank you.”
Gemma and Mike present on Hits Radio -Credit:Ultimate Performance/Mike Toolan
He says co-host Gemma has also been supportive of his transformation – and the duo both completed the Manchester 10k together in 58 minutes.
He says: “In the studio, of course, every day, Monday to Friday, I work with Gemma Atkinson who is just a machine. So now at least I’m not too far behind. I’m still eating her dust – she’s like Wonder Woman or the Bionic Woman, and Incredible Hulk all rolled into one.
“I mean, she really is just incredibly physical and always has been, but at least now we did the Manchester 10K and we actually finished it at exactly the same time. So, now at least I’m just a bit behind Wonder Woman.”
Mike hails Gemma one of his best friends and says at first he was worried about what “Evil Steve” her trainer would be like after hearing Gemma’s anecdotes about him for years.
Mike now feels like the “best version of himself” after getting in shape -Credit:Ultimate Performance/Mike Toolan
He says: “Gemma actually said to me, I remember on my first session when I was coming here, she said: “You will probably vomit or cry or both” I think were her words. And so yeah, there was a certain sense of trepidation. Well, anyone who’s got the nickname ‘evil’, it was never going to be enormous amounts of fun, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised. I really like him. He’s just a really, really friendly, wonderful guy.
“I mean, he does push you. There’s no denying that. I mean, he does push you really, really hard. He pushes me harder than I could ever possibly push myself. But no, he is an incredibly warm and funny and amusing and intelligent guy. It’s full-on with Steve, he’s got this brilliant system whereby you work the legs, then you work the upper body, and then while the upper body’s recovering, you then work the legs again. So, I kept trying to engage him in conversation. So, we’d just come off one exercise and I’d be like: “So, Steve, tell me about what’s your thoughts on the afterlife?” He wasn’t having any of it.”
He recalls one particulary hairy session, where he was pushed so hard he had to get an Uber from the gym to Hits Radio’s studios in Castlefield – even though it’s only three quarters of a mile away.
Mike has been a popular figure on Manchester radio for decades -Credit:Ultimate Performance/Mike Toolan
Mike laughs: “I didn’t have the energy to walk there. I had to call an Uber. And when the guy picked me up, he looked at me and looked at the fare and he was like, “are you okay?” I tried to explain it had been a leg day. He didn’t understand.”
But the pain has all been worth it, as Mike says he now feels great. He swapped his “italian diet” of lots of pasta and bread to a new protein-centred diet with chicken salads, sweet potatoes and protein shakes.
He adds: “I once announced on-air that I’d had a Rich Tea biscuit and Steve messaging me immediately to say: “Rich Tea? Really?” Biscuits would have progressed to fig rolls had he not sent that, I think.
“He would text me at nine at night and then the next day at seven in the morning and it was like, geez, this guy, he’s a machine, he’s a terminator. And then when you come in and obviously you do the measurements with the callipers and you get weighed, there’s nowhere to hide.”
Mike says he’s now aiming to keep his healthy regime going, and is now working out alongside his son Luca, who has recently left Coronation Street after the dramatic knife crime storyline with his character Mason.
And Luca has even got a nickname for Mike now who is emulating trainer Evil Steve.
Mike with his Corrie star son Luca Toolan -Credit:Mike Toolan Instagram
Mike says: “I work out with Luca at the local gym near us. And yeah, he’s massively seen it and it’s just been so supportive. He’s been great and I probably annoyed him by correcting him on anything he’s doing wrong in the gym. And he goes, “oh dad, stop Evil Dad.”
Mike has also had the support of daughter Lottie too. He says: “Obviously she’s very supportive and has wanted me to be happy about myself. So, the pair of them have just been incredible, really. When your kids get to that sort of age, when they get to late teens and stuff and they become mates as much as anything, the three of us all live together and we are mates.”
He adds: “If you work really hard at something, you will get the reward at the end and it is a lesson I’ve taught the kids, which is perfect for this place. Nothing in life that’s worth anything comes easy. And this wasn’t easy, but God, it really was worth doing.”