A 10-year-old boy who was being bullied because of his weight has become an internet sensation on TikTok after two brothers stepped in.

This past month, videos of fourth-grader Jacob Whitmore training with Harry, 36, and Joe Freeman, 31, have accumulated over 25 million views.

The former boxers heard Jacob was being picked on, so they decided to help him. They recently shared a clip of his four-week transformation to their TikTok account @boxwave, gathering 4 million views. Jacob appears notably different—both physically and mentally.

Newsweek spoke to Harry Freeman and Jacob’s mom Georgina Whitmore, from Warwickshire, England, about the boy’s remarkable journey, which has not only improved his relationship with food but also helped him make friends.

“Jacob used to dread going to school,” Georgina Whitmore, 30, told Newsweek. “It was heartbreaking because I felt like there was not a lot I could do about it—I’d tell the school, they’d speak to the kids, but kids are always going to find someone to pick on.”

Over the last year, the youngster was teased and called names like “fatty” and “tubby,” which left him feeling sad and “mad” at himself. This led him to spend hours playing video games while sneaking unhealthy snacks—until his granddad got in touch with the brothers.

Harry Freeman told Newsweek: “He told us that Jacob is overweight and is like a prisoner in his room, gaming and getting bullied at school.

“He quit football because of all the name-calling, so we agreed to help him.”

Statistics from NHS England health service show that in 2022, approximately one in seven children (15 percent) aged between two and 15 were obese. In comparison, CDC data from 2017 to March 2020 reported an obesity prevalence of 19.7 percent among U.S. children and adolescents. This equates to roughly 14.7 million U.S. youths aged 2 to 19 living with obesity.

Harry Freeman recalled being in a similar situation when he was 12.

“I was lazy and eating all the wrong foods,” he said. “But thankfully, we got into boxing and it helped a lot.”

“When I met Jacob, I instantly saw myself in him because I know what it’s like and how hard it is to get out of a rut when you are unhappy.

“When we first met him, we could tell he was down, but we saw it as an easy turnaround because we knew we would be able to motivate him. Now he is getting stuck in and has so much confidence.”

Harry Freeman told Newsweek they aren’t focusing on his weight. “The goal is to get him fit and healthy,” he said.

“The weight is dropping off visually, but we want to get him back into football and involved in games—not stuck in goal.”

Each day, the trio has been focusing on boxing exercises, football and mostly circuits in a local park. Recently, they have been joined by more children, who have been inviting Jacob to play football.

Georgina Whitmore said: “As a family, this has been life-changing—our eating habits have improved for all of us.

“Jacob is much happier and has reduced gaming by at least half. He used to refuse to try vegetables, but now he knows it is in his best interest to eat them.

“The kids have set up a fitness class at lunchtime and everyone is much nicer to him now.”

The mom encourages other parents to introduce fitness activities outside of school.

She said: “Don’t be afraid to sign them up for exercise classes—it doesn’t have to focus on diet.”

Her son has received a sea of support online, with TikTok users calling him a “hero” and “incredible.”

One person wrote: “Wow Jacob!! My son is 11 and he is inspired by you. He almost quit basketball because of a bully. His dream sport. You helped him chose to stick at it.”

Another said, “Jacob, seeing your journey on my FYP made my day! That’s some serious progress for only 4 weeks – you should be super proud of yourself. Having gone through similar at your age, you’re an inspiration!”

How to Get Kids to Eat More Fruit and Vegetables

Specialist children’s dietitian Lucy Upton has shared four top tips on how parents can help kids eat a healthier diet. The author of The Ultimate Guide to Children’s Nutrition has provided the following advice:

1. “Don’t add too much pressure—as parents, it’s natural to want to encourage the intake of certain foods, like fruits and vegetables we know are healthy, but adding layers of pressure or expectation, e.g., “Just one bite of broccoli, you can have some ice cream if you try the carrots,” usually backfires. Pressure, negotiation or bribing is more likely to be received with pushback with the foods, ensuring power struggles.”
2. “Model, model, model—Kids learn a whole host of skills from copying what others do (instead of what they say!), so they will benefit hugely from seeing you eat and enjoy a range of fruits and vegetables. Eating these foods around them and continuing to expose kids to fruits and vegetables without expectation often pays off in the long term (and research shows this, too!).”
3. “Offer fruit and vegetables in different ways—Plain boiled broccoli may not be hugely enticing for kids, but often, changing the way fruits or vegetables are served can ignite a little more curiosity or increase their palatability. For example, roasting vegetables, adding herbs or spices, grating carrot or zucchini into muffins, or freezing fruits and blending them into a frozen smoothie may be more enticing.”
4. “Offer fruits and vegetables alongside options your child does eat and enjoy—whilst this can feel counterintuitive (surely they will eat their preferred foods), children are far more likely to feel happy to explore foods like fruits and vegetables if they are alongside familiar foods.”

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