And the Academy Award goes to … Anthony Field! Never has anyone pulled off such a performance. Field, whom we all know as the outrageously happy Blue Wiggle of the children’s group “The Wiggles”, has done what most actors only wish to accomplish, performance-wise. He’s lead millions of families to believe for decades that he was full of never-ending joy and effortless energy, while secretly suffering backstage. For decades, Anthony could be found buckled over in pain, locked in bathrooms for hours, suffering nasty side effects from doctor-prescribed pain pills and often contemplating suicide. In his just-released book “How I Got My Wiggle Back”, Anthony tells the genuinely interesting tale of his childhood, how the Wiggles were born and how he’s gone from an overweight physical catastrophe to a 48 year old Adonis. That’s right. The man has taken his body from a state of mushy mayhem to that of an NFL running back. Thanks to a couple of doctors who helped him repair his body mechanically and internally, Anthony has a story millions worldwide could learn from. If you’ve ever suffered from: headaches, back pain, neck pain, knee problems, digestive issues, depression or a multitude of other ailments … Anthony’s book just might help put you on the path to full recovery. I’ve had the luxury of working with Anthony over the years to bring you innovative fitness training videos. I knew he had back pain and I knew he suffered from depression, but I really had no clue how bad things had been. His story breaks my heart, but also brings hope that those suffering from chronic pain can finally find a cure. We spoke this week.
Fitz: How are things going?
Anthony: I’m great Fitzy, but it’s been a rough few weeks in Wiggle-land. (The scoop: The original Yellow Wiggle Greg Page, who left the band five years ago due to health issues is now back and has re-replaced his replacement, Sam Moran. Many in Australia have shown outrage.)
Fitz: I thought Sam was wonderful, but it’s really exciting that Greg has recovered enough to rejoin The Wiggles. I’m sorry people have been so mean to you guys, you’ve really taken a beating!
Anthony: Yeah. Greg’s feeling so much better and we’re all happy about that. It’s been rough lately though. Someone spread some bad stories about us which were inaccurate, and lots of people in Australia have been ready to put the knife in us. Things have calmed down now, but it was horrible!
Fitz: I looked it up and people have certainly been extra aggressive about the transition. I can tell you that I’ve heard nothing mean about you guys here in America though. Hopefully everyone will soon settle down and just get back to having Wiggly fun.
Anthony: Me too!
Fitz: Is Greg now fit enough to hang with you and Paddie (Captain Feathersword) in the gym?
Anthony: Ahh, I don’t know about that. But he does look great, he’s lost a bunch of weight and sounds really good. I’m not sure if he’s up to the stuff we do yet, but maybe he is.
Fitz: On to fitness. We’ve worked together for years now and I’ve always known a little about your back pain and a little about your depression. But you really came clean in this book, holding nothing back. Was it a hard decision to do so?
Anthony: Not really, because I was so excited to share the story of my recovery and how Dr. James Stoxen and Dr. Richard Gringeri helped me become healthy again. They truly saved my life. The combination of fitness and education was the solution I was looking for. Dr. Gringeri taught me about eating properly. In the past, I would just put anything and everything in my mouth. I just thought I was getting fatter and feeling so bad because it was a natural part of aging and something I had no control over. He gave me the education that if you put in natural unprocessed whole foods in, your body will work better! I know you know that Fitzy, but I didn’t know that and it made such a big difference in my life. Dr. Stoxen got me barefoot a worked with me on all of those body weight exercises. It allowed me to feel great, event though I hadn’t in decades. I still have depression, which I do take Zoloft for, but the fitness training helps me to keep it at bay.
Fitz: You talk a lot in the book about how being away from your fabulous family while touring tends to make you sad. Do you have any sort of retirement date in your mind because of the depression?
Anthony: Touring has been a great source of depression in the past, but that’s because I had no balance in my life. I think it happens to a lot of people who just throw themselves all the way in to their work. I actually love touring though and I’ve learned how to juggle my work, family, friends and health much better. I constantly stay in touch with my wife Miki, and do a better job of communicating with my friends here in The Wiggles cast and crew, which I didn’t do before.
Fitz: Right! In the book, you talk about isolating yourself not to burden your friends with your depression. You’re adored, beloved even, so of course you’d have tons of support if you chose it. I know it’s a clinical issue, but isn’t that a good lesson for others struggling with depression?
Anthony: When you’re in that state of mind, you just don’t feel like you fit in anywhere or with anyone. No matter how many compliments you get, you just can’t believe it.
Fitz: Well, I hope those thoughts stay away more than they come.
Anthony: Well it does stay away more now. Honestly, being healthy and fit is a really big step towards feeling better mentally. I bet anyone who’s dealing with pain, weight gain or loss of work would feel down in the dumps. I bet you’ve felt it too!
Fitz: I have! Reading your book has actually given me hope that I might be able to get rid of a few lingering injuries too. I don’t have clinical depression, but my various injuries have certainly made me feel sad and frustrated. So I’m going to personally use many of the suggestions your doctors have given to get back in to fighting shape.
Anthony: That’s good!
Fitz: You’ve become the poster-boy for becoming newly fit as an adult. You’ve overcome weight gain, emotional struggles and wild slew of physical ailments most folks would be shocked by. In fact, I usually tell folks that my pal the Blue Wiggle is built like a running back (American football). How do you overcome your youthful market to reach adults now?
Anthony: This book should be a great start! I’m just hoping people will be willing to give health a try, step by step. Maybe they can start by going barefoot more often to get their spring back. They can figure out what kind of exercise excites them and do that too. And everyone can change their diet. It seems like a hard thing to give up processed foods like bread, or to have a coffee without cream in it. It seems impossible! But once people make those small changes, taking things day by day and week by week, they’ll lose their taste for things that aren’t so healthy or easy to digest. Giving up alcohol completely or (almost completely) will make a major difference as well.
Fitz: That’s great advice! You’re in a diner right now. What are you eating?
Anthony: Chicken noodle soup … with no noodles!
Fitz: Really?
Anthony: Yep. It’s a Greek one with chicken in vegetable broth. Tonight, I’ll probably have vegetables with a steak. But no sauce or salt on the steak. I’ve thrown out the French Fries forever!
Fitz: You referenced a scary change in your audiences over the past 20 years, tell me about that.
Anthony: It’s true! We’ve seen a frightening issue with childhood obesity in Australia and the States. I think parents have to go beyond just telling their kids to exercise, it’s vital for them to get up and get active with their children. Parents need to be great role models. I’ve hung bars all over my house and the kids see us using them and they naturally want to use them too. Same goes for the fridge. If kids see Mom and Dad drinking soda pop (is that what Americans call them? Soda pop? We call them soft drinks.), of course they’ll drink sodas. But if kids see their parents drinking water and eating fruits and vegetables …they will follow suit.
Fitz: Have you ever left the stage thinking ” Oh my G-D” those kids are in bad shape? Is it that bad?
Anthony: Well, we’ve just seen a big change and it is worrying. I think kids just have too many juice drinks, too much time in front of screens and not enough time being active.
Fitz: The Wiggles “Getting Strong” DVD and CD about health and fitness were amazingly popular. Will you make more songs about healthy living in the future?
Anthony: Yes! We’ve got a song about allergies, because that’s a big thing right now. My son, Antonio, is anaphylactic because he’s allergic to peanuts. Our song teaches children to ask other children if they’re allergic to foods before giving each other anything. We also sing about not sharing your lunch boxes, because it’s such a serious issue lately.
Fitz: Does that give you a pretty exciting sense of power being able to protect children with these simple messages? Having a child who could be killed by a PB&J must be stressful.
Anthony: Yes! We’ve also got a song about checking your driveway before you back up. In Australia, we’ve had one child killed a week lately by their own family’s car. We wrote a song to try and help.
Fitz: Well my kids have asthma, so I’d like to request one about that.
Anthony: That’s actually in our song about allergies.
Fitz: Hooray! Then I’ll get it and we’ll start singing it. What’s next for you? Where are you going with this fitness thing? You could really take it further if you wanted.
Anthony: Oh, you know. I think one day I’d like to open up a gym where people just trained with their body weight. You’ll have to move to Australia to come do it with me.
Fitz: Deal! And lastly, when are you going to do Dancing with the Stars?
Anthony: Oh that would be great! I’d love it, because I’d love to learn to dance.
Fitz: I’ve already seen your smooth moves with The Wiggles, and I think you’d do great! Let’s get on that ASAP! Thanks Anthony!
*”How I Got My Wiggle Back”, was co-authored by Greg Truman.
**Check out Anthony in action in his fitness segments with Fitz throughout the years.
that is a AWESOME interview fitz thank you!!