Matt Fiddes

Facts

Career

As a schoolboy growing up in Swindon, Fiddes was bullied, and as a result, he turned to martial arts to protect himself. In 1997, at the age of 17, he opened his first martial arts school in Barnstaple, Devon, with only £100.

Fiddes is a 7th degree black belt in Taekwondo, presented to him at his British Championships in 2007, by Master Bob Sykes. He won Instructor of the Year, an award by Martial Arts Illustrated Magazine in 2007.

In 2010, Fiddes initiated a Conditional Fee Agreement (or "no-win no fee") libel case against Channel 4 which he later dropped. The case cost Channel 4 £1.7 million.

In 2014, Fiddes was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame alongside Scott Adkins and Elvis Presley’s former karate trainer, Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace. Previous winners of similar awards include legends Bruce Lee, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris.

Celebrity clients

Fiddes worked as Michael Jackson's bodyguard from 1999 on and off until the singers death in 2009. In 2007, Fiddes became a close friend of singer Peter Andre and they appeared several times together training on his show with his then wife Katie Price.

Fiddes has worked with numerous celebrities, including: Roxanne Pallett, Peter Andre, Jessica Wright, Tito Jackson, Uri Geller and Danielle Lloyd. In 2012, Fiddes was seen training celebrities from the BBC hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing. His clients included former soap star Sid Owen, who is best known for playing Ricky Butcher in EastEnders and CBBC star Dani Harmer.

Most recently, Fiddes was sighted training TV star and model Chloe Goodman, in June 2015, in London's Hyde Park.

Personal life

Fiddes was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, and is the son of John Fiddes, an engineer and Majella Fiddes, a lawyer. He has four siblings. His mother, Majella, died in 2012, after a long fight with breast cancer.

When Fiddes was aged 21, his friend, Uri Geller confronted him about his health. Geller believed that Fiddes was bulimic after recognising the symptoms he himself suffered. It is claimed that Geller saved his life.

Fiddes was married to Marcia Louise Loscombe in November 2000, before divorcing from her in 2010. They have three children together.

In September 2010, Fiddes was featured in the Daily Mail, after claiming that he donated sperm to Michael Jackson.

Fiddes dated big brother star Chanelle Hayes and Bianca Gascoigne.

Fiddes married singer Moniqe Wooldridge, aged 20, in Witbank, South Africa, on 28 July 2012. They have one child together, Zack Fiddes, and are expecting baby number two later in 2015.

Other projects

Fiddes, a victim of bullying when he was at school, began his own campaign in 2007 aimed at educating children from a young age that bullying and racism have detrimental effects on the lives of themselves and the people around them. The NOBULL campaign has gained the support of Jermaine Jackson, who claimed to have witnessed bullying and racism against Shilpa Shetty whilst on Celebrity Big Brother. The National Society for Children and Family Contact has also backed the NOBULL campaign. A video of Jermain Jackson talking about the NOBULL campaign with Fiddes can be seen here.

Fiddes, in addition to his work with his martial arts brand, has built up the company Fiddes Rooms. Fiddes Rooms aims to supply accommodation for those in the North Devon area.

Most recently, Fiddes has been working with injured war veterans at the military's medical rehabilitation unit at Headley Court, near Epsom, Surrey. He and his instructors have devised bespoke martial arts programmes for military personnel badly injured while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of the troops had regained mobility with prosthetic limbs.

December 2013, Fiddes launched his new venture, called MF Dance, which will see dance schools open across the UK.