WORDS BYLINE: Deborah Cicurel A celebrity fitness coach has spoken out about the school bullies that drove him to a 30-year battle with bulimia. Scott Harrison, 50, may look like he has the world at his feet, with a beautiful family and a host of celebrity clients including Rylan Clark and Sara Cox. But what many people may not realise when they look at his confident demeanour and muscled physique is that Scott was badly bullied at school, leading him to grapple with a devastating eating disorder for 30 years. The fitness expert was picked on from the age of seven when he started wearing glasses but the bullying worsened when he switched to contact lenses at the age of 13 and started to receive positive attention from girls at his high school. At this point, his best friend became his tormentor and would even urinate on him. “At the age of five, my parents separated and then divorced,” Scott, from Hertfordshire, remembers. “When I was seven I needed very thick glasses due to being extremely short-sighted and I was mocked and bullied for this in school. “Many thought they could pick on me as the glasses portrayed a weakness to them, and I just put up with it at this time. “I still remember how they surrounded me and one of them took off my glasses as the other punched me. “At 13 years of age I moved to contact lenses, and I will never forget that time. “It was during the Christmas school holidays and my dad had bought me a leather jacket. “I began to gel my hair instead of the boring parting haircut that I had, and of course now I had no glasses. “I went into school after the holidays and remember walking down the corridor and all the girls looking at the ‘new boy’. “It was like being in a film, as so many didn’t recognise me. Wow, that felt good.” Unfortunately, things only got worse for Scott, as his bullies were now jealous of his good looks. “However, this quickly turned into a nightmare, as because many of the girls now fancied me I became an even bigger target for the bullies than before,” he explains. “A particular ringleader and his crew began to terrorise me all through my senior years at school. “At my lowest point, he urinated on me. “Because I did nothing to stop him and I was so consumed with fear that I just allowed it to happen it, of course, happened again. “It was around this time I began making myself sick after nearly every meal, as it seemed to give me some kind of release. “When I left school the bullying carried on, and I would continually have to walk in another direction if I was to see the bullies walking up the street. “Even when we all began to drive I couldn’t get away. They cornered me down a street once and drove into my car for fun.” Due to the difficulties he was experiencing, Scott’s bulimia got worse - an eating disorder he would grapple with for the next 30 years. “I believe that there may be a connection to this time of my life when I began making myself sick,” he explains. “I noticed it progressively getting worse to the point it almost became a habit to eat and then I would get this overwhelming urge to purge. “I was doing this pretty much every day of my life from here on and would even find myself at the all-inclusive buffet on holiday, binge eating then making myself sick and then repeating the cycle until I’d had enough. “I’m embarrassed to admit that this began to be the norm for me for 30 years. I just couldn’t shake this overwhelming urge to release and get rid of what I had eaten. “In my head, I felt that if I left the food in my body it would make me fat, but the ironic thing is I still got fatter. If only I knew then what I know now!” Scott’s struggle with bulimia lasted into his forties when he decided to look into becoming a fitness professional. Previously, he had a double glazing firm, but fed up with feeling tired, overweight and unhealthy, he made a New Year’s resolution to get himself a six-pack in just 90 days. Realising he needed to do something to hold himself accountable, he posted a video to his family and friends on Facebook to let them know about his challenge. Through his posts on social media, 36 people asked if they could join him on his personal challenge in January 2016. After 90 days, he had achieved his six pack, along with losing two stone and six inches from his waist, but more importantly, he realised he had a talent for coaching and inspiring others. What was intended as a one-off personal challenge has now grown into his business The Six Pack Revolution, with more than 150,000 followers on social media. This journey gave him helpful insights, not just into physical health, but into his mental wellbeing too. Scott says his eating disorder was never about trying to lose weight or look good- it was simply his way of coping. He would eat unhealthily and then purge regularly, stopping only when he found a more positive outlet for his emotions – the fitness programme he created. “I accidentally found out how to confront and stop the bulimia when at the age of 42 I decided to change my life,” he remembers. “I took the journey from dad bod to fitness professional and really learnt how the human body should be fed to work at its optimum. “I changed not only physically but even more so mentally and emotionally too. “Somehow this programme I created had not only extremely transformed my body, but had also literally turned off that awful switch in my head and I realised the overwhelming urge to stick my fingers down my throat had completely disappeared. “I can honestly say that I know look in the mirror and see a man to be proud of and I now love my physique. “Don’t get me wrong, there is always room for improvement and I’m sure everyone will agree that when you reach various goals in life, they do not stop there, your ambitions just move higher. “Like most people, I have been through many ups and downs in my life and now see that all these lessons I have learned have given me the qualifications to do the job I do today. “I am proud to say I have found the most healthy and effective way to change people’s bodies, minds and lives like never seen before in the shortest timespan possible.” Scott says although he went through very hard times, he wouldn’t change his experience as it has led him to where he is today. “The ironic thing now is I’m a black belt in Karate, I’ve boxed at the iconic York Hall and won ‘Fight of The Night’ there and would happily step in the ring with ‘my bully’ but of course that is no longer necessary. “I now know it’s the obstacles and challenges I went through that drove me to become stronger, more powerful and resilient and I’m grateful for the lessons that life taught me. “On that basis, I wouldn’t change them now and we must all understand life doesn’t always go in a straight line and it’s not supposed to. “As long as we approach the lessons of life from the correct perspective we can overcome even the most difficult of challenges and use them as a springboard to constantly move forward. “I am now a father of three beautiful children, the most wonderful supportive wife and if I may say so, a powerful, positive man who spends every day of my life trying to help people truly live instead of just exist. "I show people how to rise up and become a better version of themselves, focusing on what they want instead of what they don’t want and I’m proud to say I change tens of thousands of lives all over the world using what I’ve learnt throughout my life whether those experiences are good, bad or indifferent.” Scott wants to show others how they can live their best lives, staying fit and healthy well into old age. “To truly have a strong body and mind though we must fuel it correctly,” he adds. “That doesn’t mean you can’t eat indulgent food and drink, but we need to tip the balance to the more healthy side because you truly are what you eat. “Also your mentality for life should always be that regular exercising is non-negotiable. “It’s extremely important that you always do some form of exercise even into your 90’s as this will give you a better chance of continually being able to go for lovely runs, walks, climb stairs, not need a frame around your toilet and generally still have the strength to always stand up. “Exercise, especially resistance training improves bone density, muscle tone, strength, posture, reduces anxiety and is a huge investment in your future. “Make sure you imagine each workout, run, cycle or even a walk is adding credit to your pension pot of life. “I would like people to realise we are supposed to struggle. When we struggle and find our way over life’s obstacles we learn the most. “Live life as if it’s rigged in your favour, regardless of what happens and you will see everything change before your eyes.” Scott Harrison is a celebrity personal trainer, nutrition expert & founder of fitness programme The Six Pack Revolution. His Sunday Times bestseller ‘Eat Your Way to a Six Pack’ is out now. Find out more at https://thesixpackrevolution.com Featuring: Scott Harrison Where: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom When: 05 Sep 2024 Credit: Scott Harrison/Cover Images **EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR SUPPLIER.**