Fitness fanatic Matt Morsia has been praised by fellow stars from BBC\u2019s Gladiators for his school fitness comments on a podcast after sparking backlash.<\/p>\n
The TV star from Hythe told Made in Chelsea\u2019s Spencer Matthews he would rather his child \u201ccouldn\u2019t read but was healthy than was a great reader but weighed 20 stone\u201d.<\/p>\n
Matt Morsia stars as Legend in the rebooted Gladiators. Picture: BBC<\/p>\n
The comment sparked criticism on social media, with one teacher saying: \u201cObesity isn\u2019t caused by a lack of press-ups in PE.\u201d<\/p>\n
But today on his mattdoesfitness Instagram account, Morsia hit back at the controversy surrounding his comments, saying it has been \u201ccompletely taken out of context\u201d.<\/p>\n
The 40-year-old told his followers he wants his two children \u201cto be healthy and to be able to read\u201d, and he and his wife, Sarah, have read to them \u201cevery day since a very young age\u201d.<\/p>\n
The former University of Kent student and teacher adds they were both strong readers by the age of four and are both \u201cvery healthy\u201d.<\/p>\n
But he added: \u201cIf a kid is in school and they are identified as being extremely weak with their reading or their literacy or their maths, they are put in separate interventions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are given extra time to address those weaknesses and bring them up to what is perceived to be a baseline level.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that same rule doesn’t apply to fitness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve seen it, as I used to be a teacher.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve seen a kid in year nine who was like 16 stone. If that is your child, there is a strong chance they will die before the age of 60.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo how is that allowed to go under the radar? It blows my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morsia adds \u201call it would take\u201d is students doing a 15-minute run followed by 10 minutes of body weight exercise, which he believes would have a \u201cprofound impact\u201d on those children.<\/p>\n
Some of his colleagues from Gladiators have thrown their support behind him following his post on Instagram today.<\/p>\n
Jodie Ounsley, who stars as Fury on the show, wrote: \u201cI have to say\u2026 you\u2019re a legend for this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quang Luong, aka Viper, added: \u201cWell said, bro. About time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, rapper Professor Green showed his support too, writing: \u201cLouder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gladiators star Matt Morsia, from Hythe, addressed his followers after he sparked “controversy” for making comments about school fitness on a podcast. Picture: Instagram \/ @mattdoesfitness<\/p>\n
Former teacher Morsia spoke with Matthews two weeks ago for the latter\u2019s Untapped podcast.<\/p>\n
He told the reality star: \u201cI would rather my child couldn’t read but was healthy, than was a great reader but weighed 20 stone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat should be part of the curriculum in the same way that, if a child can’t read, or a child can’t do basic addition, if a child cannot jog for a couple of minutes, or cannot do 10 press-ups, they should be put in intervention to allow them to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But others criticised Morsia after a clip of the comments was shared on social media, saying the responsibility for children\u2019s lifestyle choices rests with parents.<\/p>\n
Helen Ashley wrote: \u201cAs an ex-primary teacher and former PE lead, I don\u2019t agree.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a child can\u2019t read, that\u2019s a core academic skill schools are responsible for teaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cObesity isn\u2019t caused by a lack of press-ups in PE.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s shaped far more by lifestyle, habits, and what\u2019s modelled at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools already provide PE, sport clubs and often the only structured exercise some children get all week.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they can\u2019t control what\u2019s on a child\u2019s plate or how active family life is.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says PE is not about \u201cforcing children to do drills to fix their bodies\u201d but about \u201cbuilding confidence, enjoyment and a positive relationship with movement\u201d.<\/p>\n
The former teacher adds responsibility for a child\u2019s lifestyle \u201cultimately sits with parents\u201d.<\/p>\n
Another critic was Bobby Casey, who wrote: \u201cDo you know how overly stretched schools and teachers are?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s a school’s job to teach a child, it’s the parents’ job to make sure they’re healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n
One user, mrs_brightdress, said: \u201cUnfortunately, the correlation between a child being 20 stone and unable to read is more likely to occur.<\/p>\n
\u201cWeight control is parental responsibility. Reading is the foundation of the education system.<\/p>\n
\u201cParental engagement and parental responsibility are the crux of issues.\u201d<\/p>\n