Meet ... Martin Offiah
Fitness TV were incredibly excited to interview Martin Offiah, one of the most incredible British rugby players of all time...
You scored 501 tries in your 14-year rugby career - that's incredible - but you didn't pick up a rugby ball until the age of 11. What made you want to play?
My mum sent me to a school when I was 11 were you couldn't Football, so I had no choice but to pick up the oval ball and rest as they say is history.
You represented your country many times playing rugby, what is your greatest memory of representing England and Great Britain?
Probably beating Australia in the third ashes test at the Sydney football stadium way back in 1988. It was the first time GB had beaten Australia in their own back yard for a number of years.
You were awarded an MBE in 1997. How did being recognised for your sporting achievements in this way make you feel?
It made me feel as if my career had been worthwhile and meant something to the country as a whole and not just my sport.
You're only one of six rugby players to ever score a drop goal for England. Can you explain to those not in the know (myself being one of them!) what a drop goal is and why is it quite rare to achieve one?
My... You have done your research!
Drop goals are rare in rugby league because they are only worth one point and are scored by dropping the ball onto the floor and kicking it on the half volley just as the ball makes contact with the ground. How I came to kick one in an international I will never know! He who dares, wins!
Why is your nickname Martin "Chariots" Offiah?
Because I could run very fast I suppose, and it rhymed with how people pronounce my last name. I think it was first coined by the Daily Star newspaper after a photo shoot in 1987.
The author of the screenplay for the movie "CHARIOTS OFFIAH" Colin Welland also wrote the forward for my autobiography "Fast and Loose" in 1997. Don't ask me why they called it that because I haven't got a clue.
Why did you decide to hang up your boots in 2002?
Two injured shoulders forced me to retire on the 12th May 2002. I remember it like it was yesterday, I scored two tries for Wasps against Sale in the Guinness Premiership.
In 2004, you were on the first series of Strictly Come Dancing. Was it hard to master a new sport quickly? What skills/lessons did you take away from the experience?
I suppose I used my sportsman's work ethic and mindset plus my fancy footwork helped me to waltz around the dance floor. I also learnt that he who dares, doesn't actually always win!
You're currently a rugby agent for Sport First. Can you tell us what Sport First is and what it entails?
Well in a nutshell, Sport First is a multi sport sports agency and I head up the rugby division. It's my job to guide the careers of some very talented up and coming and established rugby talent.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I watch a lot of TV (probably too much if you ask my girlfriend Jinny)! I have a Sky+ box at home, and I work for Sky Sports as a rugby league pundit so need to watch all the games every weekend. I also love House music and DJ a lot in London and Ibiza.
Will you encourage your son Tyler to get into sport, and possibly even follow in your rugby footsteps?
My shoes are far to big for Tyler to fill! He's only two you see, but who knows what the future will hold, he's still a work in progress but I'm assessing him daily lol.
Why do you think it's important for children and young adults to participate in sporting activities?
Because it teaches so many life lessons, such as teamwork, trial and error, and to not give up. Plus it keeps you fit and healthy, it's fun and tackles obesity - It's that simple.