Paul King, a 44-year-old from Teesside, has earned his professional bodybuilding card after a four-year journey that began when he approached his 40th birthday as an overweight, depressed taxi driver. He described himself as a "fat mess," binge eating in his taxi and binge drinking through boredom.
From Taxi to Stage
Paul was once a photographer at Mas Body Gym, shooting for their local clothing brand alongside running his own wedding and baby photography business. When that work dried up, he spent almost eight years driving a taxi.
"I was a state," he said. "A fat mess, binge eating in the taxi, no training, binge drinking through boredom. I was depressed, the lot."
Speaking about how his journey began, Paul explained: "I set myself a plan to get fit at 40 and get on stage in Men's Physique. It was something I'd always had the passion for but never the drive to actually go and do." He hired a coach, despite the cost being a stretch at the time, and began training properly.
Competitive Success and Setbacks
His first competition came in 2022, where he placed third, before going on to finish fourth at a British final. "I wasn't the best, but I was happy I'd made the change and actually had some sort of abs showing," Paul added.
A win followed in 2023, earning him a shot at a British title, but his mental health took a turn and he stepped away from the sport for the rest of the year. During that break he retrained as a support worker, gaining a Level 2 diploma in health and social care, before returning to training and competing again.
By 2025, now self-coached using the knowledge he'd built up, including a Level 3 diploma in personal training and a diploma in sports nutrition, he entered six competitions in a single year. He won a Mr Teesside title and a British title, placed runner up in others, and competed in some of the sport's top federations, including stepping on the Mr Universe stage.
Return to Roots and Pro Card
At the NABBA UK show in November 2025, he ran into Mike Hind MBE and Ashleigh Jackson, people he hadn't properly spoken to since his photography days at Mas Body Gym back in 2016. "We got chatting, and I ended up going back to where it all started," Paul said.
He then left support work, returned to rebuilding his photography business, and took up a role with Mike at Macro Based Diet, the Middlesbrough based healthy meal prep company. Training under Mike's coaching through 2026 brought what he calls his "best results yet."
"Going back to Mas Body and training under Mike changed everything. His coaching methods are different to anything I'd done before, and the nutrition from Macro Based Diet has been a huge part of getting my conditioning to where it is now. I genuinely don't think I get this result without both of those behind me," he said.
He won the Masters Allstars Championship in April, before placing runner up at a British title in September. Last week on October 4, he won Mr Teesside for the second year running, back to back titles that came alongside the pro card he had worked four years for.
Family Support and Health
Paul is quick to point out the toll this sport can take closer to home too. "It hasn't been fair on my wife Stephanie and the kids at times, the ups and downs of competing put real strain on our marriage and on family life. But Stephanie has supported me through every single step of this journey, and the kids have been understanding too. That's mattered as much as anything in the gym."
"My health is the best it's ever been and I'm enjoying every second of it. Mas Body, Mike Hind MBE's coaching, and Macro Based Diet have been the difference," he added.
