Scott Harrison has a successful life with a loving family and a host of celebrity clients, but suffered for years after relentless bullying at school
After being a victim to bullies and suffering with bulimia, Scott is now a personal trainer to the stars.
A man who was once tormented at school reveals how the difficult experience led him into a 30-year struggle with bulimia. Since then, he has emerged both healthy and victorious, as a fitness coach to celebrities.
At 50, Scott Harrison seems to have it all – a loving family and a star-studded clientele that includes famous faces like Rylan Clark and Sara Cox. However, Scott’s past was anything but easy after suffering severe bullying at school.
These bullies triggered a debilitating eating disorder that went on to impact his life for three decades. The fitness guru was targeted from the age of seven when he began wearing glasses, and the bullying seemed to escalate when he switched to contact lenses at 13.
It was then that he started receiving positive attention from girls at his high school, which appeared to agitate these bullies. His best friend turned into his tormentor, even resorting to urinating on him. “At the age of five, my parents separated and then divorced,” Scott shared.
“When I was seven, I needed very thick glasses due to being extremely short-sighted, and I was mocked and bullied for this in school. Many thought they could pick on me, as the glasses portrayed a weakness to them, and I just put up with it at this time,” reports Bristol Live.
Scott recalled the times when the school kids surrounded him, with one of them taking off his glasses as others punched him. By 13, he was wearing contact lenses but says that he’ll “never forget that time”.
The Hertfordshire instructor underwent a stark transformation during the Christmas holidays one year, which drew the attention of girls to him but also further unwanted attention from bullies. His new look only went on to fuel his tormentor’s jealousy.
“This quickly turned into a nightmare, as because many of the girls now fancied me, I became an even bigger target for the bullies than before,” he recounts. “A particular ringleader and his crew began to terrorise me all through my senior years at school. At my lowest point, he urinated on me.”
He admits now that at the time he was so overcome with fear, he simply allowed it to happen. The constant tormenting led Scott to bulimia, which he says was “some kind of release” for him.
When he left school, the bullying didn’t stop. Once, his ex-pupils even cornered Scott down a street and drove into his car “for fun. “
As a result of these traumatic experiences, the trainer’s bulimia worsened, turning into a battle he would face for the next three decades. “There may be a connection to this time of my life when I began making myself sick,” he explains.
“I noticed it progressively getting worse to the point it almost became a habit to eat, and then I would get this overwhelming urge to purge. I was doing this pretty much every day of my life from here on and would even find myself at the all-inclusive buffet on holiday, binge-eating, then making myself sick and then repeating the cycle until I’d had enough.”
Too embarrassed to admit that this had been his new normal for 30 years, the 50-year-old couldn’t shake the overwhelming urge to release what he had eaten. Scott’s battle with bulimia continued well into his forties, when he decided to explore a career as a fitness professional.
Previously, the trainer to the stars ran a double glazing firm, but after being tired of feeling exhausted, overweight and unhealthy, he made a New Year’s resolution to sculpt a six-pack in just 90 days. To keep himself accountable, he shared a video with his family and friends on Facebook about his challenge.
Little did he know, this quick video would be the catalyst to his future success. His social media posts sparked interest, and 36 people asked to join him on his personal challenge for January 2016.
After 90 days, not only did he achieve his six-pack, lose two stone and shed six inches from his waist, but he also discovered his knack for coaching and inspiring others. What started as a one-off personal challenge has now grown into a business venture, The Six Pack Revolution.
Now, Scott’s fitness and business have blossomed, boasting over 150,000 followers on social media. Not only has this journey provided him with valuable insights into physical health, but mental wellbeing as well.
Scott explains that his eating disorder was never about weight loss or aesthetics – it was merely a coping mechanism. He would indulge in unhealthy food and then purge frequently, halting only when he discovered a more positive emotional outlet – the fitness programme he developed.
He explains: “I stumbled upon the solution to my bulimia at 42 when I decided to overhaul my life,” he recalls. I transitioned from a dad bod to a fitness professional, gaining deep insights into how to properly nourish the human body for peak performance. The programme I devised didn’t just radically change my physique; it also switched off that dreadful urge in my head.”
Like many, Scott has experienced highs and lows in his life that he believes have equipped him with the knowledge “to do what he does” today. Now a black belt in karate, he believes that it was these obstacles and challenges that allowed him to be stronger.
“As long as we approach the lessons of life from the correct perspective, we can overcome even the most difficult of challenges and use them as a springboard to constantly move forward,” Scott shared. He is now a proud father of three beautiful children, with a supportive wife and a man with a powerful and positive outlook on life. Scott focuses now on showing people how to “rise up” and become better versions of themselves, both physically and mentally.