Stephen studied PGCE in Business Education and ICT, graduating in 2010. Reflecting on why he chose Edge Hill, he said it was the campus atmosphere, green spaces and growing reputation that immediately stood out.
Stephen said: “Edge Hill was fast becoming one of the most respected educational settings in the country. It had just made the transition from a college to university and when it came to studying, it was the facilities, open green spaces and feel-good factor around learning that created the want for me to study there.”
While studying, Stephen balanced academic life with intensive training as both a football goalkeeper and competitive natural bodybuilder, regularly using the University gym and running track.
Stephen said: “The discipline to still make time for the gym and my wellbeing alongside my education and studies is something I am still very proud of.
“My bodybuilding journey started at exactly the same time as I enrolled onto my first degree at Edge Hill. I remember using my time in the library wisely to research the requirements of bodybuilding competition and what it would take in order to reach the highest level – after all my assignments were complete of course.”
Stephen believes the foundations for his international success were built during his student days at Edge Hill, where he learned to balance elite-level training with academic pressures.
Regularly using the University gym and running track while studying, he developed the discipline and time-management skills that would later support careers in teaching, stunt performance and competitive bodybuilding, eventually representing Team GB on the world stage.
Stephen commented: “The friends I gained and the learning experience I attained were invaluable. But it was the support from my tutors that really helped me achieve what I set out to achieve.”
After qualifying as a teacher, Stephen pursued opportunities across mainstream schools, colleges, pupil referral units and special educational needs settings before an unexpected opportunity changed everything.
Stephen explained: “A friend of mine had just returned from a scholarship over in New York and Connecticut playing and coaching football, so I decided I would apply and go and do the same.”
Moving to the United States became a turning point in Stephen’s career. Alongside coaching football and continuing his studies, he began pursuing bodybuilding more seriously and discovered another unexpected passion – stunt work.
“A friend of mine suggested I go with him to an open audition casting, and I got a small role in The Dark Knight Rises,” he said. “But once I saw the stunt guys doing all the firearms and action sequences, I knew right there that was another avenue for me.”
Over the following years, Stephen trained in a wide range of specialist disciplines including rally driving, rock climbing, scuba diving, swimming and martial arts, building a career across television, film and live productions.
His credits now include work on Peaky Blinders, live broadcasts for the BBC during Eurovision Song Contest, and most recently a role as a SWAT firearms officer in Run Away, based on the novel by Harlan Coben.
One standout moment saw Stephen sharing the pitch with Mohamed Salah while filming a World Cup advert for Egyptian television.
“Being a huge football fan and Liverpool season ticket holder, getting to play football alongside Mo Salah was definitely up near the top of the highlight reel,” he said.
Alongside teaching and television work, Stephen has continued to excel in competitive natural bodybuilding. After representing Team GB in Seattle in 2023, he returned to the international stage in Los Angeles in 2025, earning bronze and placing third in the world.
Stephen said: “Representing Team GB was a massive honour and a dream come true. This time the hunger was there to surpass 2023, so we got our heads down and applied ourselves to go and grab the dream with both hands.”
Following the competition, Stephen fulfilled another lifelong ambition when he had the opportunity to train alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. “It was another moment of realisation that if you can dream something, work hard and believe in it, you can achieve the seemingly impossible.”
Stephen has also completed further qualifications in neuroscience, neuro linguistic programming and sports psychology, developing his own performance coaching framework, The 6PP Method, which he now delivers to athletes, organisations and educational settings worldwide.
Sharing advice for current students and recent graduates, Stephen added: “University is a great time in your life but also a short time. Soak up as much of the experience as you can and create lasting memories that you will never forget.
“If you want to be a world champion, go and be the best at being a world champion. If you want to make cups of tea, go and be the best at making cups of tea. You are in charge of the paths you choose to pursue and never let anybody tell you something cannot be done.”
Find out more about studying at Edge Hill University.
June 17, 2026
