Bradley Simmonds

If there was ever an example of triumph over adversity, it’s Bradley Simmonds. After his promising football career was cut short by injury, a chance Instagram message to a sporting hero launched what has become an amazingly successful new career as a personal trainer and fitness influencer. He has grown his Instagram following to over 400,000 and trains top celebrities such as Louise Redknapp, and athletes such as England stars Theo Walcott and John Terry. He writes columns for the likes of GQ and Men’s Health, and his first book, Get it Done, was a Sunday Times best-seller.

Simmonds originally dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. When he joined Chelsea’s youth academy, it looked like his dream was going to come true. However, an injury sustained during a heavy tackle became the first of many that would dog his attempts to forge a career. Despite a successful spell playing in Iceland, including Europa League games, another injury put paid to a prospective move to then-top-flight French side SM Caen. Returning to London, he got a chance with Queens Park Rangers before a torn ligament in his first week of training finally forced him to concede defeat.

Everything changed when John Terry, always interested in former Chelsea Academy players, began following Simmonds on Instagram. By this point, Simmonds had decided to pursue a career as a personal trainer and offered his services to the former-England captain. Terry agreed and Simmonds has never looked back, his success with Terry leading to more high-profile clients and an ever-larger social media following that has seen him earn the coveted blue tick of the influencer.