Blackpool bodybuilder Callum McGuirk who returned after a seven year break due to mental health issues wins competition

Proving that absence makes the heart grow fonder, in the short space of time he has returned to the sport Callum McGuirk, 33, has won first place at the United Kingdom Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (UKBFF) British Championships, held on Sunday, October 30, in Bilston, Wolverhampton, and was also crowned the winner of the UKBFF Midlands Championships. Falling out of love with the sport and struggling with mental health issues, he had decided to take a break after 'losing his way' and gaining four stone. He said: "The last time I competed was in 2015. I was working in Asda at the time and decided to go to university and gained a sports coaching degree and then became a personal trainer at another gym in Blackpool for several years. I stopped training and trained other people and started living through them and it just started spiralling out of control.”

In lockdown he started walking a few hours every day and decided to get a coach 16 weeks ago who said he wanted to get him back on the stage.

Callum, who now co-owns Wyre Fitness Gym in Hambleton with his business partner and professional boxer Jack Arnfield, 33, added: "Winning this is literally a dream come true. I always wanted to be the British champion and now I am! To compete at the World Championships was another dream come true. I have been with my brother several times so to have my go was special. I ended up finishing 11th overall, but I was up against some monsters as it was an open class."

What's next on Callum's "medals to secure" list? "I just want to keep going back to the World Championships and keep getting better. It's a different level there - the best in the world are there and to be a part of that was an amazing experience. I am now going into off season so I will try and put more muscle on now, keep on a diet but with less restrictions over the Christmas period and I should be doing the European Championships next May."