It’s nearly two months since Spencer Matthews completed The Great Desert Challenge in Jordan, running 30 marathons in 30 days and becoming a Guinness World Record holder in the process – and the star is in a reflective mood.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, TV personality and former Made in Chelsea star Spencer, 36, says: “I’m very fit and healthy and I love feeling that way. You could say I’ve replaced one addiction [alcohol] with another, and people sometimes say it like an insult.
“But I think it’s a beautiful thing to have gone from being addicted to something so turbulent and negative to something that’s so good for you and radiates positivity.”
Spencer – whose brother James is married to the Princess of Wales’s sister Pippa – is a devoted father to Theodore, six, Gigi, four, and two-year-old Otto, his children with his wife, presenter Vogue Williams, 39.
He’s also a successful entrepreneur – his drinks brand CleanCo, founded in 2019, is now the best-selling independent alcohol-free spirits brand worldwide, and has also moved from 0.4% ABV (non-alcoholic) to 0.0% ABV (alcohol-free).”
With Sober October in full swing, encouraging people to go teetotal for a month in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, Spencer tells us about his own experiences with alcohol and reveals how his love of running is inspiring son Theodore.
Spencer, how are you feeling after your world-record achievement?
“I crashed down to earth about two weeks after the marathons, having been on a high. It was a beautiful time of my life, and that was only possible because of my new relationship with alcohol. I had so much time to reflect on stuff like that while running the marathons.”
Your children must be happy to have you home…
“I’m not sure Gigi fully understands it. I know that T [Theodore] thinks it’s really cool and impressive.
“Theodore and I have this incredible relationship where he loves running. He’s really fast.
“I took him for a run the other day and we ran two miles. I could tell that he wasn’t loving it about halfway in, but didn’t want to bail for my benefit. I didn’t put him under any pressure, but I could see him digging in a bit and pushing himself."
“With 300m left of the park lap, he stopped and wasn’t enjoying it. So we walked and I told him how proud I was of him, and I hugged him. It was a really special father-son moment. It probably doesn’t sound like much, but I will probably always remember it.”
Gigi just started school – is she enjoying it?
"She’s Daddy’s very special girl. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think you treat your sons and daughters differently. Well, I certainly do.
“I’m very easy-going with her. I’m sterner with the boys, which is completely unintentional and unfair, but that’s just the way it is.”
What’s your next challenge?
“I’ve found something I think I’m good at; endurance is quite a natural thing for me. I believe I can break lots of world records.
“I can hopefully help younger people discover running or push themselves further. I want to be the Jamie Oliver of running.”
To read the full exclusive interview with Spencer, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
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