He first crossed paths with the musician when he was working in Essex as a manager at a gym the musician used to frequent with his own American trainer.
At one point, Gary got a call requesting him to fill in as the American trainer would not be traveling to the UK with Sir Rod. Then, what was meant to be a once-off training session snowballed into a 23-year career living life on the road with the rockstar.
Over the years the pair have built a relationship and when Gary decided to take on the Fan Dance Challenge, Sir Rod was more than supportive.
The trainer shared: “I’ve always wanted to do (the challenge) and my sister is suffering from myeloma so I thought, ‘Right I’m going to do this and I’m going to use it as a vehicle to raise money for Myeloma UK’.”
Gary and his friend Lee Arrowsmith were able to complete the challenge in six hours and 27 minutes, raising £3,370 although his JustGiving page is still open.