Fitness guru Joe Wicks said he was “blown away” after collecting an MBE at Windsor Castle, accompanied by his brother and “right-hand man” Nikki.

Wicks, 36, known as the Body Coach for his free livestream workouts, said it was a “surreal moment” to be handed the award by the Princess Royal at a ceremony on Wednesday.

He said the medal belonged equally to him and his brother Nikki Wicks, who helped him build his online fitness empire behind the scenes by communicating with him through an earpiece during workouts.

“Nikki is my brother. He’s also my best friend. Every single time I did PE with Joe, he was in my ear. I couldn’t have done it without him,” the fitness and nutrition specialist said.

“We had mornings where we just weren’t in the mood for it but said come on, let’s give them the best workout of their lives.

“Together we just managed, just through Nikki’s voice in my ear and his energy, it really picked us both up.

“He was kind of like my right-hand man who you couldn’t see.”

Nikki said he was “super proud” his brother had chosen to invite him as his guest.

Mr Wicks said he had visited Windsor as a child living in nearby Virginia Water.

“I always thought ‘what an amazing castle’ and now to be inside – I’m blown away,” he said.

Speaking about their rise to success, the men said they “couldn’t believe it” as they watched viewing numbers rapidly climb from when they first began the workouts, which were watched worldwide during the pandemic.

In 2020 Mr Wicks was awarded a Guinness World Record after more than 950,000 viewers tuned in to his livestream in March.

The brothers grew up in a family with mental health issues, Mr Wicks said, which drove him to focus on “lifting people’s mental health and spirits” through fitness.

Exercise was his “release” as a child, living in a small house where everyone was on top of each other.

“I wanted to provide something that would make it easy for families,” Mr Wicks said.

“We lived in a small house, basically on top of each other. Exercise and PE and everything was my release.

“My childhood, without a doubt, if I hadn’t had that upbringing, I wouldn’t have had that true determination and drive.

“I might have done a couple of them but would I have been the Body Coach?”

He said his daughter India was just as excited as him about the award.

“She has a little fake medal, like the ones you get at parties, so when I said this morning I was going to collect my award she said: ‘Yeah and daddy when you’re back, I’m going to put my medal on too,” he said.

“I think she’ll want to (swap).”

Mr Wicks was among 187 people being honoured at the ceremonies at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

He was recognised for services to fitness as well as charity in the UK and abroad, having helped raise £2 million for Children in Need with a 24-hour fitness challenge.