There’s no denying it, 2020 has been a tough year – from the ordinary person on the street to the most famous celebrities, we’ve all had to endure the same soul-destroying personal restrictions, as the world battles the coronavirus pandemic.
But while the crisis has been challenging for our health and wellbeing, there have been a few glittering celebrity stars who have helped inspire us to focus on our wellbeing – despite the ever-present stuck-at-home temptation of drowning Covid sorrows on the sofa with your favourite tipple and a box of choccies.
Here are some of the famous faces who’ve reminded us that the global health crisis shouldn’t mean we completely abandon our own health priorities…
Joe Wicks
What he did
Fitness coach Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, helped keep thousands of the nation’s kids – and a fair few of their parents – fit during the coronavirus pandemic through his PE With Joe live YouTube workouts, which had a staggering 80 million views over an 18-week period, which began during the first lockdown.
How he helped
Not only did the daily workouts get children and their parent’s fitter, and give them a much-needed, healthy focus during the monotonous days of lockdown and beyond, but they raised a whopping £200,000 for the NHS from advertising revenue, and earned cheeky chappie Wicks an MBE for his sterling efforts.
And as well as boosting both the nation’s physical and mental health, the classes forced some initially sceptical parents to admit that actually, some bits were quite hard, even though they were aimed at kids.
What he said about it
As the popular initiative ended, Wicks, 35, said on Instagram: “I wanted to help support parents and help children find some happiness, use some energy and feel safe through this time.
Never did I imagine families all over the world would come together to take part. 80 million views is hard to comprehend but this truly is my proudest achievement.”
Rebel Wilson
What she did
The Australian Pitch Perfect star has lost around 40lbs this year, and says she has another 6lbs to go to get to her target weight.
The 40-year-old actress and comedian told People magazine that before she embarked on what she’s dubbed her ‘Year of Health’ she was probably eating 3,000 calories most days, but she’s now eating a “challenging” high-protein diet, including fish, salmon, and chicken breast.
How she helped
Wilson’s impressive weight loss – and her willingness to show it off in swimsuits and shorts – is an inspiration to many people struggling with their own weight loss journeys, particularly during Covid restrictions when it’s tempting to abandon exercise and reach for the biscuit tin instead.
One male Instagram fan, commenting on a photo of Wilson in shorts, said: “Nice. You look awesome. Going through my own weight loss now. You’re keeping me inspired.”
What she said
Wilson admits there are times when her healthy intentions take a back seat and she enjoys a burger and a few fries: “It doesn’t mean every week is a healthy week.
Some weeks are just write-offs, and there’s nothing you can do about that. I’m just trying to go for overall balance, overall healthy balance.”
And the star insists the Covid restrictions have actually helped her Year of Health, adding: “I really took it as time to get really well-rested and de-stress, because most of my stress is work-related.
I definitely think with the slow down, it did help. I think I was emotional eating, and overeating at times because I wasn’t loving myself enough either. And it does come down to that self-worth and self-love.”
Selena Gomez
What she did
The singer and actress is very open about her anxiety, panic attacks and depression, admitting she dealt with ‘a bit of depression’ at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and US shutdown.
In April this year, on her friend Miley Cyrus’s Instagram talk show Bright Minded, she revealed she’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings.
The star has also had a kidney transplant and is happy to show her scar from the 2017 operation, which she needed because of complications from the autoimmune disease lupus.
How she helped
As well as making it clear that mental health problems can affect anyone, including the beautiful, rich and famous, the star’s openness about her struggles have helped, at least a little bit, to lift some of the stigma associated with talking about mental health problems.
What she said
After revealing she was bipolar on Bright Minded, Gomez, 28, admitted she was “terrified because the veil was lifted, but relieved that I finally had the knowledge of why I had suffered with various depressions and anxieties for so many years.”
And after showing off the transplant scar as she posed in a swimsuit in an Instagram post in September, she wrote: “When I got my kidney transplant, I remember it being very difficult at first showing my scar. I didn’t want it to be in photos, so I wore things that would cover it up. Now, more than ever, I feel confident in who I am and what I went through… and I’m proud of that.”
Chris Hemsworth
What he did
The Avengers star and fitness fanatic Chris Hemsworth, 37, made his fitness app Centr free for six weeks in March to make the workouts, meal plans and guided meditation accessible to all during the pandemic.
How he helped
Could there be anything more motivating than working out and getting nutritional advice completely free on an app founded by a Hollywood star once voted the Sexiest Man Alive? We don’t think so…
What he said
“Centr was founded to make health and happiness accessible to all, and I hope this will make that access even easier during the current global health crisis,” Hemsworth said on Instagram.
“I think now more than ever is when we need to focus on what I believe to be the three key pillars to living healthier and happier – movement, nutrition, and mental fitness.”