X FACTOR legend Chico Slimani has revealed how he bounced back from “losing everything” after falling victim to a Dubai investment con.
The 54-year-old entertainer-turned-wellness guru has reinvented himself multiple times over the years and has treated each setback as a stepping stone to the next best thing.
It is 20 years this month since he topped the UK charts with his song Chico Time, earning him a pretty penny (though not in the millions) and countless TV opportunities.
Some of those earnings were poured into an investment in the Middle East that ended up collapsing.
However, it put Chico on the path to creating his successful BlockFit programme that was picked up by Bannatyne’s Health Clubs and, beyond that, his wellness retreats in Morocco and Portugal.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, he explained how he pivoted from the ITV talent show and light entertainment to the fitness industry.
“It was a natural transition because I’ve been in the health and fitness industry all my life really at one time or another. As I was younger, I was into martial arts and I wanted to do natural bodybuilding. And then after that, it was always about looking after your health.
“It’s about getting the right knowledge as to how your body works, how your mind works, and how you can become the best version of yourself.
“So it started actually with my first creation at the end of 2014. And that was at a time where we invested money, lots of friends of ours, in Dubai.
“And unfortunately we got conned and we lost everything. And then it was a case of like, ‘okay, you’ve obviously got a bigger plan for me type of thing’. I always thought, all right, that wasn’t meant to be.”
He continued: “So I thought, what do you do? Do what you love and love what you do. And that was music and fitness. And I thought, if I’ve got a pound by telling someone how to get a six pack, I would be rich by now. An idea was born.
“So that was BlockFit, which was dance, combat, hit yoga, meditation to original music. We had it in all the Duncan Bannatyne gyms, 69 gyms for a few years.”
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, not only did the gyms temporarily close, but Chico experienced devastating losses.
A number of his friends, all men under the age of 50, died by suicide during this time.
It prompted Chico to channel his energy into helping people struggling with depression and anxiety by focusing on breathwork.
He said: “I call it your doctor, therapist, spiritual master all in one.”
Chico began by putting his techniques online for free, before running his first retreat around a year later in the Atlas Mountains in his home country of Morocco.
It grew organically and now he’s hosted 20 of them around the world, from Croatia, Bali and Thailand to Cyprus the UK.
“It was really amazing to see people come as one person laden with troubles, worries, anxieties, all sorts of stuff, and then walking away as a totally different person with tools that they could use for their everyday,” he said.
Earlier this year Chico self-published a book, THE SECRET 19: Cancer Questions Worth, which he says has been selling well on Amazon.
There is a personal tie to the subject with Chico losing a little brother and five uncles to the disease.
He doesn’t claim to have a cure for cancer, but he wants to encourage readers to do their own research on diet and boosting the immune system.
He said: “Really, just like a car, we need an MOT. You change the tires, you change the oils, you’d be good to go. So this is what it is.
“And even if you choose, say the conventional route, you’ve got to put a lot of nutrients into your body.
“The immune system is your army. If your army is undernourished, it hasn’t got the right weaponry, it’s not going to be able to fight.
“So what we’re doing is we’re giving people a chance to say, look, my body can heal if I put things in it, the right things in it. And healing is not just mental, it’s mental, physical, emotional, energetic, trauma-based.”
Reflecting on his varied career, Chico is ultimately thankful for what he has.
He doesn’t have a bad word to say against X Factor and would relish a reunion with his mentor, Sharon Osbourne, should he get the chance.
He previously tried to meet her in LA, but Sharon wasn’t available. And he continues to send birthday texts, though isn’t sure if her number is the same, admitting: “I don’t hear from her anymore”.
Seven months on from the death of her husband Ozzy Osbourne last year, Chico, who met the Prince of Darkness when he was on the talent show, paid a glowing tribute.
“I would have loved to have just got in touch when it was the passing of the icon and the legend that is Ozzy because I absolutely adore him,” he said.
“He’s been very instrumental in a lot of my success including that crazy golden TV moment.
“So Mama, if you’re watching this, I love you and I thank you and may the great spirit always be with you.”
