South Tyneside fitness guru to pilot own cooking show

Joe Sexton has filmed the pilot for Healthy Eating for a Hectic Lifestyle which he hopes will become a regular feature on his Facebook page Fat Loss Feat.

His cooking clips have already attracted thousands of viewers, but he hopes this latest venture will help reach an even wider audience.

The videos - presented by comedy impersonator Cal Halbert - will feature guests helping Joe to cook up a quick and healthy dish for the family.

For his pilot, he was joined by North East singer and X-factor contestant Geoff Mull.

Joe, who is well known in South Tyneside for his health and fitness and advice said: “I have been doing healthy recipe videos for a few years now and they have been really popular.

“They were just done with the selfie camera on my phone, it was just me in the kitchen but yet they attracted 150,000 views with the most being 280,000.”

The popularity of the video clips led Joe to devise a new programme based around inexpensive healthy dishes for those with hectic lifestyles.

In the pilot, Geoff Mull helps him to prepare a chicken curry, and with thanks to the talent of impersonator Cal from the Mimic Men - chef Gordon Ramsay also makes an appearance.

It is hoped the pilot will attract sponsorship to enable more shows to be made, with even more guest appearances in the future.

It is also hoped the meals will help families create healthier meal time options without breaking the bank.

Joe added: “It was good fun when we were shooting the video as I gave Geoff something quite easy to do, then Cal started to shout at him in the style of Gordon Ramsay.

“I can’t wait to see what the finished footage will be like.”

In the episode, there will also be a chat with Sunderland blogger and plus size model Laura Ferry, around body positivity and confidence.

Joe added: “People think they have to hate themselves and force themselves to lose weight. But people need to be healthy and happy, and use that positive attitude to help them lose weight if they want to, and to improve their overall health.”

The programme, which will also spin a cook book in the future, will be aired in around three weeks on Facebook page Fat Loss Feat.