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Johnny and Claire Clarke have been recognised at the Welsh Fitness Awards after giving up the drink and turning their lives around almost seven years ago.

One drunken night in October 2016, Johnny told his wife, Claire, that it would be his last time drinking alcohol.

When the Bedwas couple first got together in March 2016, Johnny told Caerphilly Observer how both had a drinking problem, and that together, things were only getting worse.

He said: “There came a point where we had no money and no outlook on life. The future was bleak. If I kept on at the rate I was drinking, I don’t think I’d be alive today.

“Nobody believed me at first. A few months later on Christmas Day Claire decided to do the same and we’ve been clean ever since.”

The 43-year-old explained how the couple had to reinvent the way they lived. They stopped going to parties and barbecues, instead creating their “own world” where they could avoid alcohol.

He added: “It can be difficult sometimes but fortunately we have each other.”

In search of a “new addiction”, Johnny said how he and Claire turned their focus to fitness, something that had previously been a passion to them.

“I’ve always been involved in fitness, but when I was drinking everyday I’d started to gain weight and go red in the face.

“We saved up what we could and during the pandemic we opened up Caerphilly Sports Supplements, which Claire runs, with the intention of helping people get back into fitness after sitting at home for ages.

“It turned into more than that however. People were coming in with addiction issues and asking us for advice; I just told them our story and said they should get into fitness too.”

After a successful couple of years of running the shop on Bedwas Industrial Estate, Johnny and Claire opened Niche Fitness Gym opposite the store in early 2023.

The gym is one of the most affordable in the area, according to Johnny, who wanted to create an environment which was welcoming to everyone. He explained: “People are nervous about going to the gym, especially people with addiction issues who feel like they’re being judged.

“Some people who I’d spoken to decided to join the gym and get clean. I qualified as a personal trainer in January and only charge £15 for 50 minutes so it’s affordable for everyone.”

Johnny went on to say that he’s been fully booked ever since, and has carried out more than 700 sessions to people from “all backgrounds”.

For their efforts, the couple achieved success at the Welsh Fitness Awards, with Johnny winning bronze in the fitness entrepreneur category, while Niche Fitness came runners-up in the best gym in Wales category.

On the success, Johnny said: “Being sat in the Hilton hotel surrounded by the most elite fitness people in Wales didn’t seem real.

“To be in this position now after where we were all those years ago is difficult to believe. What’s more rewarding than the awards though is the thanks we’ve been getting.

“Me and Claire just want to help people in difficult situations and the feeling we get from hearing ‘you’ve changed my life’ is like nothing else.

“It’s not just the person’s life who changes. It’s their families, their friends’ lives too.”

When asked how the pair celebrate their achievements, Johnny said: “The most important gift we give to each other each year is our sobriety chip.

“I will get mine this October and Claire well get hers on Christmas Day; it’s the first present she’ll open and it means the most to us.”