They are one of the most important parts of literature and perhaps one of the hardest to get right. Since being awarded an MBE by the Queen last year for his efforts during the Covid pandemic, 'The Body Coach' has been on a nationwide tour of primary schools promoting his new book.

The Burpee Bears has been written in partnership withauthor Vivian French. It will beillustrated by artist Paul Howard. As I was growing up I remember feeling short-changed when I moved onto the more difficult books with no illustrations. I love being playful. Exercise doesn’t have to be serious. But it was very tiring making the series because of Covid. I had to film with each child separately because of social distancing rules.Speaking to panelists Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan, Carol McGiffin and Linda Robson, the 36-year-old exercise guru said: "Essentially it's a book about all the things that I believe in around exercise and movement and improving your mental health, and also coming together as a family - cooking together and exercising and going on an adventure. It’s an uplifting story about a bear family who go on a wonderful day out in the woods. It’s about getting active and having fun (and getting caught in the rain)… Children can listen to him read some of his best-loved books or take part in illustration and story workshops. On Saturday June 11 over-16s can join Howard and some of his fellow illustrator friends in a 'draw-off' as they battle it out to create characters and stories from the cues provided by the audience.

I used to think if I tried drugs, I’d become an addict. It frightened me. I suppose I am addicted to social media… and to helping people. I’m very purpose-driven and get a buzz out of that. I’m obsessed with doing more content, more videos, going to other countries. I reverse the process, with the illustrations and characters first and then let the children choose if they want to end the story with a written sentence, an illustration or both.

Publication Order of Burpee Bears Books

I used to, but now I think more about the mental health crisis. I used to focus on physical transformation – leanness, body shape. But during the pandemic I realised that it’s with mental health that people need help and motivation. Without a healthy mindset and the energy you get from exercise, life feels a lot harder. If you look at exercise from a mental health perspective, the body will follow. During his two-year fellowship, Howard is committed to "promoting visual literacy as an alternative, accessible gateway for students and children of all literacy levels to engage in, building enough confidence in them to read and create their own stories". The message with children always has to be: “Do your best. If you can’t do it perfectly, have a try.” Don’t judge yourself. Don’t compare yourself. Nothing brings you more into the moment than freezing water

The Workout Badges will be available on The Body Coach TV YouTube channel and on the YouTube Kids app, starting 22 SeptemberI leave them my drawing and then they have a little display with all their owls. There are little parliaments of owls all around classrooms in Northern Ireland now," he proudly beams.

In the past there were set rules that you read picture books to such an age, then you read chapter books and then you read the novels," he says. When I was commissioned to illustrate the book I wanted to make it feel like a baby's comfort blanket and choose to draw it in these pastel pencils to accentuate the softness of it." The star has now released his first ever picture book, The Burpee Bears, and dropped in to Kirkhill Primary to do a burpee bear workout with the children, a special reading of the book and also a Q&A session. The Fellowship was created as part of Queen's University and the Arts Council's joint 10-year Seamus Heaney Legacy project supported by Atlantic Philanthropies.This weekend he joins creative writing charity Fighting Words NI in hosting a series of events in Belfast's Crescent's Arts Centre as part of the Belfast Book Festival.