Cancer-surviving bodybuilder grandfather 'shattered' after The Gym Group ban over 'personal training' claim

Denton Wilson competes as a bodybuilder, training six-days-a-week, and joined Kelham Island-based ‘The Gym Group’ after his usual spot closed for refurbishment.

The 69-year-old told The Star how it immediately ‘felt off’ in the gym - as though he was being watched.

He said: “I got an email saying I needed to go the office. I went and [a manager] said we don’t want you to come to this gym anymore because we feel you’re doing PT sessions here.”

Despite his best efforts, Denton said staff at the gym would not consider his version of events and his membership was cancelled.

“I’m not doing personal training,” he told The Star. “I am a qualified PT, but I have retired. I don’t train PT anymore.”

The drama left Denton without a place to train, weeks after returning home from a World Championship competition in Boston, USA.

He said: “It caused a lot of stress and anxiety. It hit me hard. Training is what I do. I train Monday to Saturday.

“All of a sudden, this guy is saying I can’t anymore. I’ve been crying over it, I felt useless.”

On top of his membership being revoked, Denton said The Gym Group still took money from his account and he received ‘sorry to see you go’ emails from the company.

“I have been depressed ever since,” he said. “I don’t have the motivation anymore because of this.”

Denton even wrote to The Gym Group to plead his case, but said his letters have gone without reply.

The bodybuilder began training whilst having treatment for cancer. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer aged 42, in the 1990s, and was told he had just weeks to live.

Denton turned to exercise in a desparate bid to better his chances against cancer and said it played a big role in his miraculous recovery - which he said has given him a “second chance in life”.

The fitness fanatic is now the top ‘Over 60s’ bodybuilder in Britain and was invited to compete at the WNBF World Championships in the state of Massachusetts, USA, in November.

A spokesperson for The Gym Group said: “Our member rules help us to create safe, inclusive, and welcoming gym spaces for all. We are clear that we do not allow any unauthorised personal training business with other members. Any decisions to change memberships are always carefully considered, including discussions with members involved."

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, according to Prostate Cancer UK. More than 52,000 are diagnosed in the UK every year - roughly 144 men every day.

One in eight men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. Every 45 minutes, a man in the UK dies from prostate cancer - more than 12,000 every year.

The NHS website states prostate cancer develops slowly, meaning there may be no signs for many years.

Find more information on prostate cancer, including symptoms and ways to test for it, check the NHS website.