ABOVE: Olympic medallist Louis Smith
I had 100 people over for my house warming party. It got quite rowdy.
Olympic gymnast Louis Smith
23rd May 2013
By Andy Jones
HE’S the Olympic star who won medals as well as the hearts of the nation.
Louis Smith dazzled on the Strictly dance floor
and the Olympic pommel horse, but there is more to this boy than
pirouettes and pikes.
The
24-year-old has been breaking in his plush new pad in Peterborough,
Cambs, with raucous house warmings, and Louis reckons he is coping
nicely with being a national heartthrob.
His new man cave boasts an outdoor hot tub and a secret chill-out room behind a sliding bookcase with a 75in TV and bean bags.
And it has already been the scene of raucous parties, some of which have rather scuffed the Olympic hero’s new interior.
He
says: “I had 100 people over for my house warming party. It got quite
rowdy. I knew the house would get pretty f***ed up but you have to have a
party, don’t you?
“The
ice bucket that goes with the hot tub got smashed as soon as we all
piled outside. I didn’t go mad. I mean, what do you expect to happen
when you have a party and a hot tub?”
The
gymnast has sensibly invested his cash in property rather than cars and
flash holidays, and is very pleased with his new pride and joy.
“My biggest extravagance has been the house,” he says. “It’s awesome. I was really keen to get a hot tub.
“I originally installed it because it has so many sports benefits like water jets for massaging sore muscles.
“But I won’t lie, it is also very good for entertaining.”
Despite flaunting his buff physique (in and out of hot tubs) there is one part of his body Louis dislikes.
“My
hair,” he laughs. “Only because it takes quite a while to maintain and
sort out. I think I’d rather just shave it off and start again. So yeah,
my hair’s quite annoying.”
We
catch up with the gymnast while he breezes around a 5km urban assault
course in London to promote Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 phone.
Now a bona fide celebrity, Louis is getting all sorts of offers, not all of them quite as user friendly as phones.
He reveals: “Thankfully my agent sorts out most of the weirder stuff, but I did get a cock ring sent to me in the post.
Not by a fan, but by some company wanting me to promote it. I can’t remember what actually happened to it.”
We press to find out what became of the saucy gift, but his agent will only add that it has gone “missing”.
Louis
admits he was slightly more tempted by the Strictly Come Dancing sequin
suits in which he twirled to victory with partner Flavia Cacace.
He
says: “They wouldn’t let me keep any of them. They all cost at least
£300 each so they are swiped back the moment you finish your dance.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’d have found many places to wear them again anyway.”
While we leap over concrete pillars and hurdling steps, Louis gets wolf-whistled and heckled by women – and men – of all ages.
“The
grannies are the most screechy,” he laughs. “People usually react very
positively so I enjoy that, but you have to keep your feet on the
ground.”
While
he claims to be shy, Smith admits his new book, out next month, will
feature “a few topless shots – just to keep all the fans happy”.
Fellow
Olympic hero Sir Bradley Wiggins has bashed Team GB athletes for
profiteering through commercials and game shows, but Louis takes this
with a pinch of salt.
He explains: “I get ‘There’s that guy from Strictly!’ as much as I get spotted for my medals. But that’s fine.
“You
can’t change how people recognise you. It’s just nice to have achieved
positive things in the first place. I have worked hard, and as long as I
don’t lose focus I should be able to do other things.”
Despite his new-found fame he trains 10 hours each day
“I don’t do any weights, it’s all on the apparatus,” he insists, flexing his huge arms.
It’s a regime that has taken its toll on the tired star.
Louis
says: “My lateral ligament on my left knee has needed an operation
since way back in 2009. It hurts quite a lot, as does my Achilles.
“It’s not the operations that are the problem, it’s the recovery time. You just have to get through it.”
This hasn’t stopped his dancing though.
“If I hear one of my tracks from Strictly come on, I do bust out a few of the moves,” he says. “It’s almost a reflex.
“Thankfully I don’t hear them on any nightclub dancefloors. Who’d be doing ballroom moves in a nightclub?”
He auditioned for X Factor in 2008 and got a flat “No” from Simon Cowell, but Louis hasn’t given up on singing just yet.
He
admits: “I sing but I’m not doing anything publicly for a while. I love
singing in the car, in the shower, getting dressed. But I am not
releasing an album or anything.”
We gently put to him that he could do a collaboration with childhood pal and former JLS member Aston Merrygold.
Louis
answers: “I am mates with JLS from way back, but to be honest we are
both so busy it’s almost impossible to catch up with them anyway.”
If the young gymnast didn’t have the vocals, at least he’d have the back flips.
Louis was taking part in the Phones 4u Urban Boot Camp, launched to celebrate the new Samsung Galaxy S4’s health feature.
Boot camp runs every Tuesday and Thursday until June 4.
To book your slot go to facebook.com/Phones4u.
