Elton John took advantage of his time in lockdown to get in shape and better himself. The 74-year-old legendary musician spoke on the Deeney Talks podcast about his lifelong struggles with body image and focusing on himself in quarantine.

“I’ve always had a weight issue and a body conscious issue and I think it takes a long time for you to come to terms with that,” John shared. “I don’t think I ever will.”

Knowing his own struggles, John, who suffers from Type B Diabetes, decided to focus on his health amid the pandemic.

“I’m probably my really fittest I’ve been in a long, long time, and I feel great,” he said. “There’s no point in moaning about it, no point in moaning about being overweight. You’ve got to do something about it.”

For John that was consulting a nutritionist and getting active. He said he enjoys playing tennis and walking in the pool and has walked 42 miles since the start of the year.

“I just wanted to come out the other side not overweight and feeling that when I go back on tour I’m going to be the fittest I’ve ever been,” he explained. “A lot of my shame comes from the way I’ve put on weight. It’s been with me all my life. I go up and down like a bloody yo-yo. But I’ve really concentrated on that during lockdown and I’ve had a lot of help from people in the house.”

One of John’s biggest motivations was getting to spend more time with his sons, Zachary, 10, and Elijah, 8.

“I’ve got two kids that I want to be around as much as possible,” he said of the kids he shares with husband David Furnish.

John got his wish during lockdown, packing in lots of quality time with his sons.

“It was tough for them, but they were terrific with the whole thing,” John said, adding that his kids recently returned to school in person for the first time.