Former X Factor star Chico teaches fitness class in Sunderland

Chico, who rose to fame on the ITV singing contest in 2005, paid a special visit to Studio Burn Fitness, in Houghton.

He has since launched the fitness drive Block Fit, which combines four workouts in one class, fusing dance, combat, interval training and yoga.

The singer and fitness guru delivered a masterclass in Block Fit to dance classes at Studio Burn Fitness, and told of how he feels “at home” in the North East.

Chico said: “I was delighted to come to Houghton to deliver this masterclass.

“For me, it’s the people that make it.

“Every time I come up here, my heart feels at home.

“The people are just warm.

“Dare I say, the south should learn a little bit from the north, because what you lack in sunshine you certainly carry it in your hearts.”

Chico is delighted with the success of Block Fit so far.

He trained 20 instructors in the workout while at Studio Burn Fitness.

He added: “It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done, purely because I’ve combined two passions together: music and fitness.

“I’ve always been into fitness and I love music, so I’ve created my own music to the fitness.

“It’s a revolutionary workout which has never been done before.

“It’s the first of its kind in the world, and it’s expanding at a meteoric rate.”

Carla Thirlwall, the owner of Studio Burn Fitness, said: “It was fantastic to welcome Chico and we really enjoyed having him in the studio.

“Block Fit is a great creation and we’re really looking forward to introducing it here.

“Chico contacted me because he wanted to bring Block Fit to the North East.

“Everyone was very excited and raring to go.

“I’ve never seen as many of them at 9am!”