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Last week, ITV daytime competition winner Mike Wring caused something of a stir when he appeared on Good Morning Britain and Loose Women. Why? Well, just take a look at the fella-  what’s not to like, right? Not only he is drop dead gorge, he’s also six foot bloody eight! Gulp! Of course, we at GuysLikeU aren’t superficial so-and-sos and we could tell that there was more to this fella than meets the eye. So we decided to find out more about him. Here, in a startlingly honest interview, this towering inferno of hotness reveals how he was cruelly bullied at school, his surprise love of needlepoint and the part of his body Lorraine Kelly and Susanna Reid just couldn’t get enough of! 
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Well hello Mr Mike Wring – you certainly woke everyone up on Good Morning Britain last week. Did you enjoy your experience as much as we did watching?

It was great. I think it was the third time now that they have had me on there and each time they really look after you. It’s nice that they follow up these things to show that real people do win competitions as I think most people are to scared to enter them thinking that they are a scam. However I can confirm it definitely is not!

You  even got to arm wrestle the swoonsome Ben Shephard – you were very kind and let him win!

Well that was an unexpected part of the morning. I’m not used to being up at 4am so he had an advantage! They were a great sport really and all were so friendly. I’ve had a few people get in touch expressing their jealousy of me getting to touch Ben Shephard.

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Have you had loads of messages from thirsty gays and girls?

Oddly enough I have. I’ve had a great response on social media which is amazing. I’m not sure that I agree with what people are saying but it is very flattering. As someone that was bullied from a young age and has struggled with body confidence and battled with weight my whole life, it really meant a lot to hear such positive and nice comments. Although there was one online troll who decided from the short few seconds I was on air that I was in love with myself, which in reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Not that I let that get to me as I find people like that quite amusing.

So you won 70k in the ITV competition – that must have been amazing. Are you normally a lucky guy?

I would say half an half! Yes, I have had great luck winning that competition on my first attempt and with other opportunities that have come my way in life, but at the same time I have also had some less fortunate things happen. However thinking back most of that is probably down to my high level of clumsiness.My first purchase was a car that I could actually fit in. I spent two years driving the smallest car available, so figured it was the perfect time to not need a sunroof for my head. I paid off some debts and invested in my side project Three Sixty History, buying a military helicopter from America which we hand restored ourselves to hire out and take to shows.
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So what do you do?

For the past 10 years I have worked for the ambulance service which has been a very rewarding career. I currently work for Bristol ambulance EMS where I have worked both in the control room and out on the road.

Your also a musician – what do you do? What’s the dream?

Music has always been a huge passion of mine and luckily I have always managed to have the ability to pick up an instrument and teach myself fairly quickly. I started off playing the saxophone which I loved then went on to teach myself guitar, drums, piano and a few others. I’ve played in a fair few bands and orchestras as well. Music is a great way to relax and I love how it can really evoke emotions. I did enter the X Factor this year however my audition clashed with a holiday so who knows, maybe next year you’ll see me sing for the judges!!!1E04A9CF-B2A2-47FC-8138-4C06C3FBE6F2

You’re a big and sexy fella do you attract a lot of attention?

At 6ft 8 it’s hard to blend in, so I guess I do attract some attention particularly in clubs. Not sure if I agree that I’m sexy. In my head I’m still a tall, lanky kid walking through school carrying a saxophone case. Which surprisingly was not a very popular look for me in school.

GuysLikeU is read by gay guys – do you get loads of attention from fellas?

Since the ITV appearance I have had quite a lot of messages through my social media and guys getting in touch. It’s very flattering and like I said before I’m not very used to that sort of attention.

Do you have gay mates?

I sure do. The ambulance service has a great LGBT community and always supports events like PRIDE. I am proud to have friends who are openly gay and will always fight for their right to love who they want. At the end of the day people are people no matter their sexual orientation and have the right to do what they want with their lives whilst being treated the same way as everyone else.

It was National Coming Out Day recently – have any gay mates come out to you?

Back in school I had a close friend come out to me. It was a very proud moment for me. It must have taken a lot of courage and been a very hard thing to do as you never know how someone will react.
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We know which parts of your body we like – what is your favourite?
I’ve never had anyone have a favourite par, but If I had to pick I guess it would be my arms – they seem to attract the most attention; especially from Lorraine Kelly and  Susanna Reid this week!
What part does you girlfriend like most?
Hmmm I know which part I would hope she likes the most! But she would definitely say my bum as she loves being big spoon; apparently its like hugging a huge bear!
And which bit do thirsty gays like most?
Haha well to be honest I have absolutely no idea! My height always gets mentioned the most so I guess I’d have to say they like that the most!
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You have a girlfriend – does she realise she’s lucky minx?
She tells me she is, but I know that I am the lucky one (not that she needs to know that! haha!) To be honest we are like the same person just as clumsy and out there as each other. We are both happy and spend every day laughing at each other which is all that matters.We met earlier this year and its been the best year I’ve had thanks to her.  We spent a huge part of our lives getting it wrong before we were lucky enough to find each other (She slid into my DM’s on Instagram but that’s a whole other story!) We have done a lot and experienced some great things together and I’m excited for whatever the future brings us and I think there will definitely be a wedding in our future! We haven’t been on the holiday I won yet, so have talked about using it for our honeymoon!
Have you ever had any gay moments?

Not sure about moments but I do have an undying love for Channing Tatum that Jen has to deal with. So much so that I learnt the dance routine in magic Mike…..

Now, you’re what many of us might consider physical perfection, but we noticed on insta that you said you used to have some insecurities about your body when you weren’t able to train.

To be honest I have always had insecurities when it comes to my body. I don’t think that will ever change really. I have been 12 stone and called thin, so I worked hard and bulked up. I then took it too far and at 22 stone was called fat. Body dysmorphia is very much a real thing and is hard to deal with. Its quite common for people to look in a mirror and see something different to what everyone else sees. I have managed to control it a lot more these days and it doesn’t rule my life. Before it’s been so bad that I’ve missed one gym session and in my head I look like I have lost a stone in weight or felt the need to do push ups before going out as I’ve felt thin. I think social media has a lot to answer for with regards to body image; too many people feel that they need to look a certain way or be a certain weight when in reality the only body you should have is the one that you feel the happiest in. At my lightest I had no confidence, at my heaviest I had mobility and respiratory issues but now at 17 stone I feel happier than I ever have.
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When you were a little heavier before – did that effect your self esteem?
I was down about being thin that I pushed myself too far. I was eating 10,000 calories a day to gain the weight and put my body through a rough time. I would eat past the point of being full in order to stretch my stomach and became very calorie focused. It wasn’t uncommon for me to go in to work with a mixing bowl containing a box of Weetabix  and milk or eat three whole chickens in a workday, much to the shock of my colleagues. In the end I was very fat in the face neck and had a bit of a belly on me. Its amazing how your mind focus’s in on one thing like calories or your weight and blanks out the actual effect its having on your body.
What were you like when you were younger?
I was very small and quiet when I was younger. I was not very sporting at all, in fact my school report for PE was always ‘has a lot of heart’ which translated means ‘at least you turned up’. One of my main hobbies was actually sewing as a child although I recently read that Chris Hemsworth sews too so if its good enough for him then I am more than happy to admit it! It was quite common in my house for my sister to be in the front room watching sports with my dad whilst I was in the back room practicing needle point or making pillows haha. I think it was quite a shock to my parents when I decided to go to a gym gained eight stone and started playing American football. These days a lot of people refer to me as ‘Big Mike’ but back then it was not the same. I found school quite tough. Kids can be quite cruel especially when your a boy that knows more about making a dress than kicking a football. I did try my hand at rugby once in my school years; I  remember a proud moment for my dad was the opposing team kicked the ball but I wasn’t paying attention and it bounced of my head somehow causing my team to score a try. To be fair my parents have always been proud of me with whatever I do in life, and have always supported me 110%.
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How tough was the bullying?

It started in school and was mainly related to body image but kids can be cruel and will find any reason. Whether it was my hobbies, size or look I took my fair share of insults and abuse both verbally and physically. It was bad throughout school I had it hidden quite well but had massive anxiety issues before going back to school each time and lost a lot of sleep over it.  It wasn’t an easy time for me but I guess on the up side going through all that pushed me to become what I am today and achieve everything I have achieved so far. So I guess I have to thank them really rather than be angry about it.

How did you deal with it?
Even back then I bottled It up and took it all on myself. Even to this day people close to me didn’t even know how bad it had become. I now know this was the wrong approach and wish I had looked for help earlier on. No one deserves to feel ashamed or down for whatever reason. I would like to one day be able to help people through this as I have always been caring and easy to talk to.
What have been the after effects

It made me very determined and pushed me to achieve everything I set out to do, to date. Had it have not been for the way they made me feel I would not have joined a gym and be doing the things I enjoy today.

Have you seen any of those bullies since?

I saw one a few years back and although he looked pretty scared of my size he apologized for what he had done and now we have actually stayed in touch. It was quite a nice bit of closure really which helped me move on from it.
Do you feel like you can ever shake off those feelings?
 
I don’t know if you can ever shake those feelings but you can take the associated negativity and turn it into a positive. At the end of the day experiencing all of this has made me what I am  today and I wouldn’t change any of it. I think the advice I would give to anyone holding onto feelings of anger or sadness about their past or to anyone experiencing bullying, is don’t let them win. From my experiences people bully as a result of their own insecurities to make themselves feel more empowered. So what does that really matter? Use it to fuel your determination and ambitions and always be the resilient and stronger person.
A lot of young guys experience some mental health issues when they’re younger – have you?
I have a real unhealthy tendency to bottle everything up and try and take on the world by myself. This all came to a head a while back when there were a lot of negatives in my life. I was having a hard time at work, had a few family issues that I let get the better of me and didn’t handle the loss of a family member as well as I had thought. As a result I had a breakdown. It turns out that this was what I needed to realise that there are people out there that care and want to help and you never have to take things on yourself. I had work colleagues drive out at 03:00am to make sure I was ok and take me out for a chat, family members that dropped everything to be with me. I will always be grateful of that. The main thing to take away is that there is no shame in asking for help or experiencing mental health issues it happens to more people than you think just reach out and I guarantee someone will be there.
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You’re launching yourself as a PT – what’s your plan?
The main goal is to open my own specialist training gym in the future everything else is in the starting stage but I want to help people with the knowledge and experience I have gained. I know how daunting it is starting to work out or trying to get in shape as every resource online gives different answers and there are a lot of fad diets out there that don’t actually work. I can help people that want to gain weight and I can help people to lose weight as I have done both and have experienced what works and what doesn’t. My knowledge and experience I have gained over the past 10 years also means that I can help those with injuries or disabilities; no one should ever feel like they cant train if they want to and I want to do all I can to support those people. I will be looking at eventually running group classes, one on one sessions as well online programming and tuition for those that live further a field.

What advice would you give young guys who want to shape up but don’t want to gym it?

Firstly I can completely understand why some people don’t want to go to a gym as they can be daunting and if you don’t want to go then don’t. Wanting to do it is the first and most important step. The one thing I will say is that if you don’t go to a gym, then manage realistic expectations as there are some things that going to the gym will make a lot easier and more accessible. If you do want advice get in touch and I will be happy to help.
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How often do you train / what’s your diet

Now I still train fairly regular but not as full on as I was. I will generally go to the gym once a day 6 days a week and get great results. My diet is never set in stone. I know what food I should eat and eat it in moderation. That being said I believe in the importance of treating yourself every now and again for motivation and to ease those cravings, for instance, if I want chocolate then I will eat some; the odd bar wont hurt you. I find that more helpful in the long term than trying to cut things out completely and a lot more enjoyable.