It’s late September, the chill of autumn is starting to take effect and Phil Vickery is standing outside a small theater in Milton Keynes in a tiny pair of black trousers.
His old gym buddy, Lee, is standing next to him with a bottle of True Tan, scanning his burly body, ready to smear any white bits a gloriously artificial shade of tan orange. Someone has to do it.
“Budgie smugglers, fully tanned, plucked, hairless… you’re screwed,” says Vickery, reflecting on the dramatic leap from rugged World Cup-winning mainstay to impeccably chiseled bodybuilder. at the Ultimate Physiques British Open.
‘Bomb, stage, lights, pose. It’s totally unnatural, totally out of my comfort zone, a totally foreign place. I shaved parts of my legs and shoulders to film as a rugby player, but this was a completely different world.
‘Then I pulled into the service station, got out of the car and it was bright orange. People must have been thinking, “Damn, where did this guy come from?”
It’s an 80-mile journey from his home in Somerset, but Vickery’s personal journey to the show’s stage has been less straightforward. Queen’s honors, delight, divorce, bankruptcy. Almighty, crushing highs and lows that somehow blend into a comforting steady state with a tight vacuum flex of the abs.
Phil Vickery’s personal journey to the entertainment stage has not been easy
He admitted that he lost his sense of purpose before finding bodybuilding and fake tanning.
At his lowest point, bodybuilding offered Vickery a dose of endorphins and escapism.
‘Whatever is happening in the rest of the world is totally irrelevant when you walk through the gym doors. I needed a challenge, something out of my comfort zone, and I thought, should I do a bodybuilding show? I came third.
‘My genetics are shit, I’m not cut out to be a bodybuilder, but I loved the process. The pain, pain and suffering to get on stage.
“When you look in the eyes of someone who’s been through that you think, ‘Damn respect.’ It’s similar to when I look at another rugby player: ‘You’re hurt, come here mate, well done.’
Vickery savors a sloppy mix of spelled flakes, berries, protein powder and Greek yogurt as she reflects on her journey since the 2003 World Cup. “I’m prepping again for my next show,” she says, scooping a spoonful into her mouth. from the plastic tupperware.
“After rugby I had a lot of difficulties in the gym because I had always trained with a purpose. I enjoy riding a bike but I have had three neck surgeries so I can’t spend more than an hour on a bike.
‘Suddenly you get a little bigger and a little rounder. Another year, another half a stone. Before I knew it, I weighed 24 kilos. A great deception. You’re thinking, “Damn, my knees hurt, my ankles hurt, my shoulders hurt. Damn, Phil, come on.”
‘Now I weigh 18 kilos. It took me a long time to understand that I need to go to the gym for my own well-being, whether it’s physical or mental health.’
The links between England’s 2003 glory boys have been left to dust and rust. His support network went down in history. They have a strange and distant relationship with the RFU, with Richard Hill the only player in their 30-man squad among Twickenham’s 500-strong staff.
The links between England’s 2003 glory boys have been left to dust and rust (pictured: Phil Vickery, centre, with Steve Thompson, right, and Neil Back, left).
Vickery talks about his desire to get back into the kitchen, as he embarks on a mission to reconnect with the old giants of 2003.
Vickery launched himself as a restaurateur, after his scallops and black pudding helped him win the 2011 series of Celebrity MasterChef. Life seemed to be going in the right direction, but beneath the veneer he was experiencing a marriage breakdown and was forced to stop trading after lockdown.
At its lowest point, bodybuilding offered a dose of endorphins and escapism.
‘When getting divorced, someone said, “Don’t let drinking become your friend” and that really scared me. I could very easily see how I could fall into that, so I consciously stayed away from it. Bodybuilding was a good excuse, that final preparation, because you’re super clean.
‘Covid, the restaurant, bankruptcy, divorce… is it the lowest point of your life? Of course it is. It is your own integrity. It’s Phil Vickery; honesty, integrity, passion, pride… but you have failed. You can keep playing and tell yourself you will make it. In the end, it caught up with me.
‘You start to ask yourself, “What is the purpose of me being here? Is it easier if I’m not here?”
“There have been scenarios that I have gone through in my head, but the more I think about it, regardless of what others think of me, I have two beautiful children, an amazing brother and sister, my mother, my aunt, my uncle , my cousins. Selfish is not the right word but you think: “Come on.”
“I had problems after I retired. I didn’t physically dare to go to the 10-year reunion because it made me feel physically bad. Going through divorce and bankruptcy is kind of the end of the cycle. It’s public domain, it’s a fact of life, you can’t hide it, you have to face it.
‘I take responsibility for the things that happen to me. I’ll sit there and face it. I remember sitting at a press conference at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, as captain of England, and being labeled the worst England team to ever leave the shores.
Vickery launched his career as a restaurateur after winning Celebrity Masterchef in 2011
Life seemed to be going in the right direction, but beneath the veneer he was experiencing a marriage breakdown and was forced to stop trading after lockdown.
‘Everyone wants a bit of action when everything is going well. But let me tell you, when you go to a press conference and you’re fucking trash, and you have to sit there and deal with it. That’s when you find out. I’ve never been afraid to face it and I will.’
There is a fighting spirit in Vickery’s words. An infectious energy that makes you want to join him in the gym. The kind of spirit that, 21 years ago, turned a self-confessed “fat school kid” into a world sporting champion.
The ancient Eastern tattoo on his arm translates to “I will fight you to the death” and those words still ring true. Vickery is fighting back.
He speaks of his desire to return to the kitchen, as he embarks on a mission to reconnect with the old giants of 2003. They have reunited, filmed a documentary and are launching Champions 2003 to create a legacy of supporting the next generation of players that they retire.
“Now you watch TV and someone, not wanting to offend anyone, can win something completely pathetic, that no one gives a damn about, doesn’t mean anything in the world, and say, ‘Me.’ “I’ve had an experience that has changed me life.”
‘Truly, I have had an experience that changed my life. I cried when I saw the documentary for the first time. I cried several times, but at the same time I laughed.
‘The open-top bus, being in London, people, even going to number 10, walking through the doors, and being greeted by the Prime Minister. Going to Buckingham Palace and meeting the Queen, oh my god.
‘That’s the special thing, there are images in the documentary that we have never seen. A Pandora’s box. The locker room part, those parts, it’s just kind of, “Shit, yeah.”
Vickery has a fighting spirit that makes you want to join him in the gym.
Vickery admits her genetics aren’t great, but she enjoys the process of getting into optimal shape.
‘The game has advanced. Let’s be honest, our game financially is going down, not up. So we’re not talking about making billionaires, it’s about “it’s really true, so what can we teach, what can we pass on our learnings to help the next generations?” An emergency fund for people on the ground.
‘I often see people spending a million pounds on a campaign and winning a prize for it, but what does that really mean? We want to create real partnerships. Rugby players are easily coachable because that’s what we did all those years.
‘Without wanting to bet every penny I have, now that I have everything, I’m sure you’re fighting battles or challenges of whatever.
“And if an old oaf like me can bother to stand up and say: ‘Phil Vickery, raging bull, MBE, England captain, three rugby World Cups, European Cup winner, duh-duh-duh-duh-duh -duh -duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh. Actually, I’ve fought and I’ve fought just as hard. “That will help someone, and if it helps someone, great.
“When I think about what we tried to do with the 2003 guys, the group of players is the most important thing in the world to me. I would die for them and I mean it.
‘Recover that sense of identity with the kids, help each other, whether it’s financial or emotional support, talking more. Now it’s about legacy. Now everything I want to achieve in the future has to do with legacy. Cooking, eating, farming, rugby… what positive impact can I have?’
Ingenuity, work, wisdom; There is no doubt that Vickery has a lot to offer the world of rugby and beyond. And if a couple of new friends join you with the bottle of True Tan, all the better.
Unbreakable: England 2003 is available to stream on demand on Discovery+