British fitness model and social media influencer turned endurance athlete; Kori Sampson became a celebrity after hitting it big as one of the most popular contestants on the dating show; Too Hot To Handle in 2020. But while he became an in-demand star, and subsequently appeared on Celebrity Ex on the Beach, this period of time took a lot of personal adjustment for the former construction worker to navigate. Fortunately, the star is now healthier than ever and credits a love of fitness, and endurance-based sports, as a major reason for turning his life around.
M&F talked to the rapid runner to find out more, in the hopes that his story may serve as great motivation for anyone else that is struggling to find a positive outlet.
Having initially moved from Plymouth to London in the hopes of finding himself, Kori Sampson had fallen into taking drugs and drinking to oblivion as he got fully immersed in the wrong side of the dance music scene. Paying his rent by working a job that he hated in the construction trade, Sampson decided to quit his negative habits, and worked hard to clean up his act. While he thought he’d found a way to patch up his insecurities and make his dreams of becoming of celebrity come true, the reality was that he soon returned to the nightmare scenario of substance abuse.
Kori Sampson
Kori Sampson’s Insecurities Lead Him To All The Wrong Places
“I always knew that I wanted more out of life. I think I was just trying to get there in whatever way possible,” says Sampson, who was already slowly but surely developing a promising modeling career on the sidelines before entering the world of reality television. The buff Brit confides that during his day job, he never felt like he really fitted in with the other guys on the building site, and would joke that he’d soon escape that environment by appearing on television. Unimpressed, the rest of his crew placed bets on whether he’d still be with them in one year’s time. “But I proved them wrong,” says Sampson.
While Kori Sampson proved successful in leaving his job and had now earned the fame that he’d craved by appearing on reality TV, this new found attention and the promise of favor and fortune didn’t prove as mentally fulfilling as he’d hoped it might. “Becoming famous was quite a shock due to the timing of it,” he says. “We were in lockdown when Too Hot to Handle first aired, and I first got recognised in the supermarket while doing a food shop… with my mask on! I remember the first trips I took after lockdown were to Mykonos and Ibiza. The Greek people recognised me as the show was global.”
The young celebrity also experienced most people’s wild fantasies, having fans waiting outside of his hotel room and getting his name added to the exclusive guest lists at the most lavish of parties, but these things really just provide a fast-track to his own failure. “With the events, parties and attention, I easily slipped into old habits like drinking and doing drugs,” he admits bravely. “I had a lot of guilt surrounding living like that, because I didn’t want that anymore.” Well aware that the promise of a better life, having finally found fame was now slipping away, Sampson decided to keep himself busy with other more productive time-killers like running, and moving his body in the gym. “It’s how I coped,” he says of staying clean.
Kori Sampson Kept His Body and Mind Strong With Fitness
Fortunately, being consistent with fitness was already a passion that just needed reigniting. Sampson explains that he’d competed on the bodybuilding stage in his late teens and early twenty’s, earning the title of Mr. Plymouth as a junior, and shortly thereafter had trod the boards of the UKBFF. Fortunately, healthy habits like eating clean and working out can take hold just as readily as those negative behaviours can, and so before long Sampson was feeling more confident both physically and mentally. He started out with small runs, but these days undertakes some seriously elite endurance challenges, like Hyrox and ultramarathons. In the last several weeks alone, Sampson has completed at a Hyrox event, a marathon in Saudi Arabia, and even a 136.7-mile (220-kilometer) ultramarathon in Tanzania, Africa.
“My most recent race was really the hardest thing I have done,” says Sampson of the 5-stage ultramarathon in Tanzania. “It was 220 kilometers in total, with around 6000 meters of elevation. I can really say that every day, from day two onwards, was the hardest thing I have ever done. The longest day was day four; 60 kilometers, and on my birthday. It was the most difficult thing I have done, and it did nearly break me at one point! But crossing the finish line, on that day more so than the last, was my proudest moment to date.”
While Sampson’s extraordinary accomplishments are truly awe-inspiring, you don’t have to become an elite athlete yourself in order to make positive mental and physical changes. “I do have my own platform, called Wake Up N Move where I help others by planning their nutrition and training, which I think initially is so important to anyone looking to take back control of their life,” says the inspiration. “We also have a run club that I do monthly in London, to bring people together and get people up early on a weekend and moving and feeling great.”
Kori Sampson’s Secret to Fitting In
While running around the world, Sampson is often able to connect with fans far and wide who credit him for getting them moving. They get a chance to join him on his travels so that this positive community can get those extra steps in together. Through his journey to being more active, Sampson tells M&F that he can truly feel like he’s found a crowd worth fitting in with. Success is following his footsteps too, with news that the inspiring athlete has recently signed to be an ambassador for Under Armour and Sports Direct. “It’s been a crazy journey,” he reflects.
The athlete says he feels like this new healthier lifestyle allows him to tackle anything that life can throw at him, and is more fulfilled than ever. To that end, Kori Sampson is now looking at potential world record attempts as a means of cementing this more rewarding type of fame. “I feel like a bare minimum of training per week, for me is around 3 runs, 3 gym sessions (based around bodybuilding/weight training and strength), then 1 session of running specific strength and conditioning, and 1 or 2 further conditioning workouts,” he explains. “I love stretching and I take a sauna most days too. I appreciate that this is a pretty busy schedule, but regardless of goals or if I’m on holiday; movement every single day is non-negotiable. Even if it is a long walk with the dog!
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