Beth Tweddle – life beyond the gym

Feb 25 2010 by Gil Lightfoot, Flintshire Chronicle

Like all young women Beth Tweddle loves a good night out with her friends – but she often leaves early because of her gruelling training regime.

With the European Championships looming, the world champion gymnast is spending six days a week in the gym working on her strength, flexibility, skills and perfecting her routine.

“Luckily I have a really good group of friends who understand,” she says. “They don’t think I’m going early because I’m bored or anything! They know that I have to train. I do sometimes feel as though I miss out on the gossip though.

“Four days a week I train for five or six hours in the gym and on the other two days I train for four hours.”

Once a month she travels to Birmingham to meet up with the national coaches.

It’s a routine the former Queen’s School pupil is well used to. She has devoted her life to gymnastics since the age of seven. Now aged 24, her skills and determination are keeping her at the very top of her sport and the seven-times British National Champion is acknowledged to be the most successful gymnast the country has ever produced.

Beth’s dedication to her sport was recognised in the New Year’s Honours List when she was made an MBE.

Originally from Bunbury, Beth now lives in Liverpool where she studied for a degree in sports science. When she eventually retires from gymnastics she plans to become a physiotherapist but has put further studies on hold until after the 2012 Olympics.

But away from the gym and the glare of publicity, Beth enjoys the simple things in life.

“I do like shopping,” she says. “I like a bit of retail therapy. It’s a good way to get away from training.”

If she can’t get to the high street she will shop on-line.

Beth also enjoys going out occasionally to bars and clubs with her friends and she likes films but says she finds it difficult to sit still long enough to watch a film at the cinema. “I prefer to watch them at home so I can get up and move around,” she says.

Beth also laughingly admits that she isn’t much of a cook but relies on her housemate to produce the healthy meals she likes. She doesn’t follow any strict eating plan. “I just eat a healthy diet,” she says. “I like things like lasagne and stir fries. It’s just a normal diet really. Just everything in moderation.” She even admits to enjoying the occasional bar of chocolate.

Keeping in touch with her friends is also an important part of her life.

“A lot of my university friends are now scattered around the country so I keep up with them by email and Facebook,” she says. The internet is also a great way to keep in touch with her fans.

“I have my own personal website so my fans know what I am up to.”

Apart from her many followers in this country, Beth has fans of all ages worldwide, including many in America and Australia.

And they were delighted when she was shortlisted for the BBC’s 2009 Sports Personality of the Year award.

Looking ahead to April’s European Championships in Birmingham, Beth says it’s going to be a tough challenge. “It’s always tougher competing when you have a title. It adds to the pressure,” she explains. In last year’s European Championships she won gold medals in both floor exercise and bars and then went on to take the World Championship title in October with a stunning floor routine.

After the competition is over, Beth will take a couple of days off from training before she’s back in the gym preparing for the next big event.

In the meantime, she has a new role as the face of the Cheshire launch of broadband and home phone company Plusnet.

“I use the internet such a lot, for shopping and to keep up with friends that I’m happy to do it,” she says.