A bodybuilder has opened up about his whirlwind life story, from his imprisonment in Thailand for his “crazy” behavior to his conversion to Islam and giving up alcohol.
TV presenter Vogue Williams speaks to mums, dads and their adult children to discuss topics they’ve rarely, if ever, talked about in The Mail’s new podcast. The apple and the tree.
These are deep, intimate and revealing conversations that traverse love, pain, shame, sexuality, religion, addiction, identity and more, recorded in the guests’ own homes, and Vogue breaks down what is revealed. has shared at the end of each episode.
In the latest episode, Jamie Morton talks to his mother Jacqui in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, about his “brutal” and “shocking” experience in a Thai prison several years ago.
Jamie is an online fitness instructor and global bodybuilding competitor who wanted to speak to Jacqui about his decision to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim woman.
Listen to the full episode with Jamie and Jacqui on the Apple & The Tree podcast:
Bodybuilder Jamie Morton has opened up about his time in jail in Thailand.
From a young age, Jamie had obsessive tendencies, hated school, and became a heavy drinker.
Jacqui wanted to know if she remembered her youthful mania for magic tricks, how terrified she was when she discovered her bodybuilding drugs, and how welcome Jamie’s wife’s family made her feel.
Jacqui initially discovered that Jamie, now 30, was taking steroids when she tidied his room, uncovering his hiding place, which made her fear for his health.
But Jamie’s problems were about to get worse: while visiting Thailand, he says he took his behavior “too far” and got himself into “big trouble.”
Sharing his story in a bid to motivate others not to misbehave abroad when it comes to drugs and alcohol, Jamie revealed he ended up in jail.
He said: “I was stuck in prison as the only white Englishman. “It was raw and it was happening right in front of me and I’m in a world of trouble here.
‘The things that happened there were brutal, abhorrent, disgusting and shocking and I will never forget them and take them to the grave.
‘Things you have to do there, otherwise you’ll be in a world of trouble.’ And they devour you because everything is run by gangs.
Jamie was speaking to her mother Jacqui, 58, for the latest episode of Vogue Williams’ podcast, The Apple & The Tree.
Jamie, who has now converted to Islam, admitted his behavior had gotten out of control.
He added that the maximum security prison was surrounded by barbed wire, guards with firearms and even a moat.
Among the imprisoned criminals were those who had been convicted of crimes such as murder.
“You wonder, ‘Will I ever get out of here?'” he said.
The fitness fanatic says he was working in the country illegally after overstaying his tourist visa and hanging out with some “unsavory” characters.
Even after being released from jail, Jamie was handed a five-year travel ban to Thailand, which will not end until next month.
However, he has managed to stay out of trouble and has changed his life considerably in recent times.
Jamie met his wife Faaizah in October 2022. After their breakup, Jamie asked if they could get together and the couple decided to get married.
TV host Vogue Williams speaks candidly to parents and their adult children to discuss topics they’ve rarely, if ever, talked about in her new podcast Apple & The Tree.
The Apple & The Tree Podcast: Listen wherever you find your podcasts
Jamie then embarked on another life-changing step: she began researching Islam and reading more and more about it.
I had already given up alcohol, eliminated pork for health reasons, and was doing intermittent fasting for bodybuilding.
“I thought, I’m basically doing this anyway,” Jamie said, and went on to visit a couple of mosques in London. Last April he converted to Islam.
He said: ‘I’m in very early stages. I take it at my own pace and my wife understands it very well.
“Currently I just stick to not drinking or eating pork and Ramadan is coming up, which we are both going to do and practice.”
Listen to the latest episode of our The Apple & The Tree podcast, hosted by Vogue Williams on Spotify either Apple Podcasts. New episodes released every Friday.