i don't do politics so i have no idea who his mother is. he's looking for 'sponsors' if anyones interested
Environment Secretary's son, 17, posts online video accusing parents of turning their backs on him after rugby ban. Jonny Spelman says mother Caroline is threatening to kick him out of family home Spelman switched to weight training after being suspended from rugby for taking steroids. Revelations huge embarrassment to Mrs Spelman, who has spent more than £60,000 trying to keep son’s drug use secret
By Nick Mcdermott
Power pose: Jonny Spelman says his mother Caroline is so angry she is even threatening to kick him out of the family home A Cabinet minister’s teenage son has accused her of turning her back on him because of his obsession with bodybuilding. Jonny Spelman, 17, says his mother Caroline is so angry she is even threatening to kick him out of the family home.
He switched to weight training when he was suspended from rugby for taking steroids. Prior to the 21-month ban he was playing for the under-17 England team. Jonny, who attended £10,000-a-term Tonbridge School in Kent, is asking fellow weightlifters to help fund his bid to go full time. He has also registered at a job centre near his millionaire parents’ home in Solihull, West Midlands, and touted himself as a handyman.
The revelations are a huge embarrassment to Mrs Spelman, who has spent more than £60,000 in the courts trying to keep her son’s drug use a secret. The Tory Environment Secretary’s website states that her children are her top priority and that she always makes sure they ‘eat well, sleep well and are happy at school’.
In one online video, which has now been removed, her muscular son begs his fans for money and offers to post private clips of himself working out in exchange for their help. ‘My aim is to be the biggest guy there ever was ... basically you know I wanna be the next Mr Olympia,’ he said in the posting, according to a Sunday tabloid.
‘Obviously this does come at a price, I’m afraid, as I’ve chosen bodybuilding as my life and my parents have sort of decided that they’re not happy with that. ‘They’ve told me eventually I’m gonna have to move out and they’ve stopped supporting me financially. ‘So the YouTube viewers have become very important to me as a way of basically... keeping me fed and continuing to grow.’ Despite his age, Jonny last month came second in the under-23 section of the United Kingdom Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation’s Bodypower competition in Birmingham.
Change: Mr Spelman, far left, turned his sporting ambitions to bodybuilding after being banned from rugby
Striking a pose: The Cabinet minister's son became one of the youngest sportsmen in Britain to be banned for using performance enhancing drugsHe boasted that his achievement was unheard of for a 17 year old, and vowed to continue with his dream of becoming a bodybuilder.
In a posting on his YouTube site he wrote: ‘Need some donations to help fund my growth as choosing to become a bodybuilder has unfortunately lost the support of my parents.’ His page links to an Amazon wishlist of diet supplements. On a bodybuilding forum, writing under the name J.Spel, he posted a message saying: ‘Any jobs going in Birmingham area? ‘Need an income, life is too tough at the moment! Can’t afford anything bank balance is ****.’
He also asked for advice on taking intravenous supplements, which drew criticism from more experienced bodybuilders. On her personal website, Mrs Spelman describes the challenge of trying to combine politics and motherhood. ‘My children are my top priority and as long as they eat well, sleep well and are happy at school I know we can do this together,’ she says. ‘Most importantly, I protect my family time; a roast lunch on Sunday, football in the garden and making cakes on rainy days.’ Mrs Spelman was unavailable for comment last night.
