Muscled marvel Leon Mitchell has been crowned world champion at the Natural Bodybuilding Championships in France.

The 35-year-old manager of easyGym in Slough took the middleweight title after beating the top body-builders from around the world in Toulouse and winning the coveted gold medal.

He said: "It’s absolutely amazing. This past year I have dedicated myself to competing on the world stage and winning this event has made all the hard work and training worthwhile.”

Leon follows a strict nutritional and fitness regime to help him keep in shape.

But working out is a busman’s holiday as he has run has spent 18 months running easyGym Slough – the budget gym, which is part of the easy family of brands owned by easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

In recent weeks, Leon has had a double triumph in the Mike Williams Classic held in York. He took top spot in the middleweight division and was then judged overall champion in the competition.

He followed this up by being runner-up in the British Natural Bodybuilding Championships in Manchester which has taken him on to the world stage.

Recently, Leon also spent several weeks overseeing the opening of easyGym’s franchise gym in Nairobi - the first of several set to open across Africa.