Tom Grennan on Overcoming Assault, Depression, and Getting Fit for Men’s Health

Tom Grennan has reflected on how being beaten up as a teenager led him into a spiral of being unfit and depression before he turned his life around – as he posed for Men’s Health UK on Tuesday.

The singer, 30, spoke about the scary incident which happened in his home town of Bedford outside a chicken shop.

His injuries were so bad that he had to have surgery on his jaw and even had metal plates put in while he was recovering. He was then beaten up again in 2022 when he was in New York.

But showing off his impressive muscles for the publication he told how he had turned his life around after the mental health struggles and ‘boozing and eating rubbish’ in his twenties.

He said: ‘Getting beaten up when I was a teenager was the start of putting me into a spiral of getting unfit and having depression. I didn’t know where I was going after that or who to be. 

‘The second time it happened to me [in New York in 2022], it wasn’t as bad as the first time because I had learned how to deal with that situation. I had never been knocked out before. 

‘I woke up quickly and I immediately knew I had to snap out of it, so I didn’t sink into a depression again. I had to understand what happened and accept I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘When I go on long runs training for Iron Man, you meet every dark side of who you are. The endurance events have definitely helped me handle those experiences, no doubt.’

He previously told The Guardian of the incident: ‘One night, outside a chicken shop, I was beaten up by a group of strangers. The injuries were so bad, I had to have surgery on my jaw; they put in metal plates that I’ve only just had taken out.

‘It wasn’t only my body that changed – the attack made my brain feel as if I had been rewired. I went from thinking that I was loved by everyone, this golden boy, to being someone hated by the entire world. It felt like even people who didn’t know me hated me. 

‘Pretty quickly, I became chronically depressed. It felt as if I was being suffocated by all these dark, negative thoughts.’

Speaking to Men’s Health he also reflected on his twenties – a period in his life he deems as the most unfit he’s ever been.

Tom said: ‘I was in a bottomless pit of going out every night, boozing and eating rubbish – that cycle just made me really unfit. The only exercise I was getting was on stage and I was a sweaty mess, puffing for air after one note. 

‘I come from a football background, so when I was younger I was really fit and I thought my metabolism would always be sweet. 

‘Turns out, the drink and the food when I was in my twenties caught up with me. Looking back, I can hardly recognise that person. I remember the day it switched, I needed to find something, and some people, that really challenged me.’

It comes after Tom secretly welcomed his first child with his wife Danniella Carraturo a few months ago. 

The star, who married the Pilates instructor last summer, said his baby daughter is the ‘greatest gift’ and revealed her sweet name recently.

In an update to Instagram, Tom announced his latest album had reached number one but also announced for the first time that he had ‘stepped into fatherhood’, with daughter Dottie. 

Sharing a photo of Dottie with his award, he wrote: ‘From the kid who never thought he’d make it, to three consecutive number one albums, joining an esteemed club to do so with the likes of The Beatles & Oasis – words will never be enough for the gratitude I feel.

‘To now be stepping into fatherhood at the same time is the greatest gift I could ever imagine. Music gave me purpose, but being a dad gives me everything. Here’s to the past that built me, the present that grounds me, and the future I can’t wait for!

‘Thanks to all the fans for once again making my dreams a reality, I really couldn’t do it without you all. It’s going to be amazing to see so many of you on the upcoming tour in September.’

He concluded: ‘Honestly I’m so excited for what’s to come, we are just getting started. Tom x’   

A source added to The Sun: ‘Tom and Danniella welcomed Dottie earlier this year and they’re absolutely besotted with her.

‘It’s been massive becoming parents but they’ve taken to it like ducks to water and are so happy.

‘To become a dad to Dottie was the best thing to happen to Tom. And now he’s got his third No1 album, it’s like the cherry on the cake for him.’ 

The couple became engaged in 2022 and married in May 2024 at a luxurious estate in Majorca.

The pair reportedly met in a lift in 2020 but split and then got back together during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Tom spoke about about the couple’s relationship during an interview on the Kyle & Jackie O Show last year.

He told hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson that they first met in a lift, before sharing a cigarette in the smoking area of the building they were in.

He went on to say that he and Daniella ‘bonded over a ciggie’ and he was awkwardly rejected when he went to kiss her.

‘I leant in for a kiss and she was like ‘what the hell are you doing?” the Little Bit of Love hitmaker recalled.

However, the singer recovered with a smooth move by saying, ‘well, if you’re not going to kiss me at least put your number in my phone,’ and the rest was history.

Later in the segment, Tom revealed his heartfelt gesture for his bride during the couple’s wedding last month.

After giving his speech at the reception, the singer performed a song he composed especially for the occasion because he believed his dyslexia prevented his speech from adequately expressing his feelings.

‘I did a speech, and then I said ‘Daniella I can’t speak as well as I want to, but here goes’ and I wrote her a song,’ he said.

The full interview can be read in the October issue of Men’s Health UK, on sale now.