IT ISN’T a surprise to discover 58-year-old Steve Breakwell first became interested in sports and physical activity when he was a young lad growing up in Worcester. His strength, stamina and flexibility has clearly been built up over many years.

The fitness instructor of 13 years believes he now has more energy than people half his age – he takes 18 classes a week at different venues in Worcester, Malvern and Dudley on a regular basis and steps in at other locations when other instructors are away on holiday.

But it is down to sheer willpower, his underlying core body strength and general good health that he is even walking – let alone prancing about in front of students wanting to improve their bodies.

Seventeen and a half years ago on the eve of the millennium celebrations he was struck down with an illness which left him paralysed and unable to see or speak.

Steve, who was born in Worcester and worked for fire engine makers Carmichael in Gregory’s Mill Street for 38 years, became interested in sport and fitness from the age of around 11. Cycling became a particular passion and he joined St John’s Cycling Club.

“That was where I started getting into fitness. There was not much TV and no iPads or mobile phones then. I used to get home from school and go out training,” said Steve.

His local and national time trial results even led to a trial for the British Cycling Team when he was about 14. Steve’s enthusiasm was simply infectious and both his parents – Brian and Pam Breakwell - took up cycling. His dad, now aged 80, still goes out on his bike with Steve every week.

A bad crash during a road race, which put him out of action for several weeks followed by an increasing interest in motorbikes, meant Steve put his cycling and fitness to one side for about 10 years.

However at 28 he took up the Korean martial art taekwondo and within four years Steve had progressed to a black belt grade and a few years later he started teaching his own classes.

“When you get to a certain grade you end up helping others by doing the beginners drills and at your club and then you get a feel for whether you want to teach. I went on training courses to become and instructor and also became an international referee for international fights,” he said.

Then when an opening came up to become an instructor of a class in Kidderminster he decided to take it on. He and another instructor started off using a squash court at the old Forest Glades leisure centre with four people.

“I thought it was a challenge. It was costing us to run it at the start but we set ourselves a goal to get it up and running in a year. It just took off. I ended up with about 170 students.”

Steve then started getting back into cycling and began mountain bike cycling. “Everything I have been interested in has been about physical activity.”

But Steve’s world of physical fitness was about to be shattered in a most traumatic way. On New Year’s Eve 1999 Steve was preparing for a celebration like many households up and down the country.

But as the day wore on he started to feel unwell and thought he was coming down with a cold or flu. He decided to have a rest before the celebrations started but as time moved on he got worse and worse to the point where he could not talk, move and had difficulty breathing.

In the early hours of the morning he was taken into Worcester Royal Infirmary and he was eventually diagnosed with a rare condition called Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) - within 24 hours of feeling unwell he was paralysed.

GBS produces a very rapid onset of muscle weakness. It is an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nerves and damages their myelin insulation. Sometimes this immune dysfunction is triggered by an infection or, less commonly, surgery or vaccination.

Steve ended up in the old Ronkswood Hospital for about seven weeks. “I was lucky because when I was taken there because one of the nurses got a specialist doctor who had been working at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham with someone who knew all about it.

“He knew all the symptoms and he got me started on the right course of care. If they catch it in time your body slowly starts to recover,” said Steve.

“They were not sure if I would recover. It was not likely to kill me but they did not know what would happen. Within 24 hours I was paralysed. I was a prisoner in my own body.”

Steve made a near full recovery – he still has a little bit of paralysis in the left side of his face - and he attributes much of that to the physiotherapist who worked with him. The physio gave him two options – he could push him to get his body working or he could take it one step at a time, which wold take a lot longer.

“I chose to be pushed and it was some of the hardest training I have ever done. I literally was paralysed. I went through ups and downs but the specialist was pleased with the way I was improving.”

The hospital also arranged for a woman who had experienced the same condition a few years before to go and visit Steve.

Steve said there were times when he almost gave up and did not respond to the treatment but he did not want to take antidepressants. “I wanted to be in control and I did not want to go on drugs.”

His determination to recover and his experiences of training, which he described as being physically and mentally hard, played a major part in his comeback. He was able to walk again in a year.

His friends in taekwondo had kept his classes running and Steve was eventually able to resume teaching but he wanted to avoid a lot of contact activity to start with in case it damaged his nerves.

Steve decided to try and get really fit again and focused on Les Mills Body Pump and Les Mills Body Combat. “It was like the movement in taekwondo to music. I did it three or four times a week. I thought I would love to teach this and need fitness qualifications.”

Despite his setback 17 and a half years ago, Steve - who began as a fitness instructor in his spare time initially and made it his profession after he was made redundant three years ago - said: “I seem to have more energy than people half my age.

“I take Les Mills Body Combat, RPM, Body Balance and CXWORX. I am doing 18 classes a week now. I never thought I would be doing this and at my age I never thought I would be doing this as a living.”

He still makes time for his first sporting passion – cycling – and goes out with his dad for 40 to 50 mile rides. “We are still doing the same thing we did years ago and he is 80 and I am nearly 60.

“People need to get fit for life. It is about movement and keeping mobile. If you have grandchildren you want to be able to have a kick-about with them. Everybody has their own level – I never started in the fitness industry until I was 43. It is never too late to start.”