Retired British swimmer Mark Foster released his memoir My Double Life in July, which was published by Bloomsbury, and he worked on his autobiography with Tom Connolly, and held An Evening with Mark Foster events to coincide with the release. Recently, Mark broke his ninth World Record for the event On Your Marks, which was the largest golf competition for those with the same name, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. Since retiring as a very successful elite swimmer, Mark is now a swimming commentator, most recently at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, as well as the last four Olympic Games, and he previously ran the Mark Foster Swimming Academy for 15 years. During his time representing Great Britain in swimming, Mark competed at five Olympic Games – Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, and for his final Games in Beijing in 2008, he was also Team GB‘s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Having won his first individual international medal at the Commonwealth Games for Team England in Auckland in 1990, Mark went on to win back-to-back Gold in 1994 in Victoria and 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, and he finished his swimming career with 15 World medals (including six Gold) in the Men’s 50m Freestyle and Men’s 50m Butterfly. In Series 6 of Strictly Come Dancing, Mark was a contestant alongside his professional partner Hayley Holt, and he performed on numerous Strictly Come Dancing live tours, and he now runs the dance and fitness programme FitSteps with former Strictly Come Dancing professionals Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe. Talking with Mark, he answered our questions about releasing his memoir My Double Life this year, his recent golf event in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, his very successful swimming career over the years, being a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and running FitSteps.

Your memoir My Double Life was published by Bloomsbury in July; can you tell us about the book and how was it telling your story?

The book is my autobiography, not a coming out story, as the title might suggest!!! I’d been asked a few times to do something, but it never seemed like the right time… I needed a WHY…

Not because I want people to know more about me – I’d spent my life hiding myself… It was more about helping others, having conversations, being vulnerable, having more visibility, and that I may just help somebody else be more comfortable in their own skin…

I was not a tortured soul… But I tried to be a version of myself I thought society wanted me to be – or, should I say, society told me to be!!!

What was it like to work on with Tom Connolly, and how was it seeing the book come together?

Tom was great… He said, “Give me everything, and you can take it out if you don’t like it… But, to get a complete picture of you, I need the complete story”.

It was like my therapist!! We sat together on numerous occasions for several hours over the period of a couple of months… Then he went away and wrote the first section, the second section and the third section, and we chatted… And we chatted, and we chatted!!!

He made the process easy and made writing feel effortless – one thing I always struggled with…

To coincide with the book release, you held An Evening with Mark Foster events, how did these go?

Literary festivals and book signing evenings have always been fun. It’s interesting to see what people want to know about – whether it’s the early years, what made me want to plough up and down a pool, the interesting places I’ve been or the famous people I’ve met.

There’s a lot of stuff in there… And people are always interested in different things. The response has been great.

You recently broke the World Record with On Your Marks for the largest golf competition for those with the same name, in aid of Prostate Cancer UK (which marked your ninth World Record); what was it like taking part in the competition, and can you tell us about your charity work?

I love golf, and I love helping people… So I got to do something I really enjoy and, more importantly, got to raise awareness, raise money and help other people… It really was a no-brainer.

And it was a very interesting concept that was not mine!! It was very funny playing with 77 other people called Mark… You never forgot anyone’s name or got it wrong!!

I last broke the World Record for the Men’s 50m Freestyle in 2001… So it was nice breaking another World Record 25 years later lol.

Since retiring from swimming, you have worked as a commentator, which has seen you recently commentate at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and work at numerous other competitions including the last four Olympic Games; what is it like experiencing these events from a different perspective, and what do you enjoy most about working as a commentator?

I feel really lucky. I still get to be part of the world of swimming… But I don’t have to bust a gut to do it. It really is the next best thing to doing it…

That’s what Clare Balding said to me, and she was so right… I get to talk about my love and my passion, work with the best sports broadcaster on the planet, still get an invite to the party and be poolside… Who would turn that down?

We understand you also ran Mark Foster Swimming Academy; can you tell us about running the academy, and how has it been staying involved with the sport with both the academy and as a commentator since retirement?

I ran my Swim Academy for 15 years with Katy Sexton, the World champion in summer 2003, Ali, Anthony and Rob.

It was basically a one-day masterclass, where we did two hours in the pool, two hours on strength and conditioning, and two hours in the classroom. We talked about anything from nutrition, dealing with nerves and race preparation etc.

I basically set the academy up because, when I was 11 years of age, Olympic champion Duncan Goodhew came to my club and gave me the same experience. It was a way of giving back.

I do love the sport, and that’s why I represented Britain for 23 years at senior level…

What are some of your favourite highlights from representing Team GB at five Olympic Games – Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 – and how was it being selected as Great Britain’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of your final Olympics in 2008?

Highlights… Wow, this is hard…

The ‘88 Olympics were my first… And I just loved it. I got blown away by the experience. I was like a rabbit in headlights and just tried to take it all in. It was crazy.

‘92 Barcelona… One of my favourite cities on Earth, and I still go there on holiday today… It has such a wonderful vibe. I came 6th and just missed out on a medal. It was also the Olympics of the dream team USA basketball, and Linford Christie won the Men’s 100m on the track. There was no air conditioning in the village. It was hot… Really hot… But it was awesome.

‘96 Atlanta was all about the big brands and sponsorship… America does everything on steroids!!

2000 Sydney was my favourite Games. Aussies just love their sport… and with swimming being one of their biggest sports, they are so knowledgeable and passionate about the competition.

There were some big stories in the pool… Ian Thorpe becoming Olympic Champion at 17, and the Australian men beating USA men in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay for the first time in history… I came 7th in the Men’s 50m Freestyle… but I was so close to the podium.

2008 Beijing… My fifth and final Olympics. It was all about carrying the flag. Being chosen as Team GB’s flag bearer was the icing on the end of an Olympic career… Walking around in the bird’s nest in front of 85,000 people, with 500 athletes and support staff, is something I will never forget.

You were very successful at the World Championships, finishing your career with 15 World medals (including six Gold across Men’s 50m Freestyle and Men’s 50m Butterfly); what do these achievements mean to you?

It felt good to work towards something and achieve it… I never achieved my ultimate dream of becoming an Olympic champion, but I did the next best thing.

I feel fortunate to have had such a long career. To step onto the top of the podium, hear your national anthem played and see the flag of your country raised is pretty cool… And very satisfying knowing that all the hard work has paid off.

How was it competing at the European Championships over the years, where you had repeated success in both of your events, and what was it like having consistency through many European Championships?

Consistency comes from training… The reason why sportspeople train is so that, when they do the doing bit, they don’t have to think – they let their body take over…

The difficult thing is making sure your body is ready at the right time, so it’s about doing the hard work but also making sure you’re rested to go fast.

Once you have it figured out – and everybody’s body is different – you stick to it…

Do you remember how you felt standing on the podium to collect your first individual international medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, and how was it winning back-to-back Gold medals at the 1994 Victoria and 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in the Men’s 50m Freestyle?

My first international medal in Auckland set me up really… It gave me the belief…

Sure, I knew I was good, but having a medal put around your neck just gave me the extra confidence I needed. It told me that this is what I wanted to do…. Which was hard when you weren’t paid a penny!!!

Up until I became a World champion and World Record holder at 23, I worked as a courier driver, fitted double-glazed windows, was a lifeguard and worked on building sites.

Then Speedo sponsored me, and it all changed.

I became a full-time athlete.

Living the dream – if only it was golf or football…

Where does your love of swimming come from and how did you originally get started in the sport?

My love of swimming? Well, that’s a weird one… My dad could not swim… He was afraid of water and nearly drowned, so he turned his fear into my love.

I took it a little bit too far though!! Lol…

Then, through the hours spent in the pool, I just enjoyed the way it made me feel. But, most importantly, the tribe of people I met… Who became my friends and still are today.

Having spent many years competing at an elite level, what do you think helped you maintain such a long and successful career, and what advice would you give to a young swimmer hoping for a career like yours?

I don’t see anything comes easy… It always takes work and dedication.

But you always learn more from your disappointments because you reflect on them more. Thinking of the word failure… I don’t think we FAIL at anything…

I think: From action, I learn…

And that’s what helps us grow.

How did you find the experience being a contestant on Series 6 of Strictly Come Dancing in 2008 (where you reached week 6), and how was it learning to dance with your professional partner Hayley Holt?

I loved it. In the first week, I wanted to run for the exit…

When you’re used to being good at something, it’s easy. It’s what you’re trying for…. But this really was stepping out of my comfort zone.

Once I realised it was not life or death and that I should just enjoy myself… I did exactly that. I mean, how many people would love having a pro dancer teaching them to dance? Very cool.

Not many people do it in front of 15 million people though… Eeeekkk.

I think we grow a lot more by taking ourselves out of our comfort zones. When you’re not good at something, it’s very easy to get better at it… But we tend to stick on what we’re good at. That really helped me grow.

No, I’m not John Travolta… But I’m not John Sergeant either…

Since being a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and being part of the live tours, you now run the dance and fitness programme FitSteps with former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers Ian Waite and Natalie Lowe; what can someone expect from the classes, and why would you recommend signing up?

I’ve always had the idea of getting people fit and healthy, and in my head, it was going to be through hit training that I used to do when I did land and conditioning work in the gym for swimming.

But, from doing Strictly, I realised lots of people don’t like swimming, running, biking or gyming… They love dance.

No, I was not the best dancer… But I knew people that were… So Natalie and Ian put the steps together to music, using 14 Latin and ballroom dances from Strictly, and I gave advice on health and wellbeing – and FitSteps was invented.

And now we have created a travel people who love getting fit and staying fit through dance… Most importantly, they’ve found their tribe.

How do you like to spend your free time, and are there any other sports you enjoy following?

I play an awful lot of golf. Golf is my new passion… Well, I’ve been playing for 20 years or so now… But I play a lot with my mates I used to swim with, and a lot of other friends.

I’m fortunate enough to be invited to lots of pro-ams and charity events. I love the fact that golf gives me so many different ways… The company, the exercise, the walking, fresh air, nature, the competition against other people and the progression of getting better yourself.

And it’s the only sport I know where you can hit it like a pro one minute and like a beginner the next…

I’m also a Tottenham Hotspur season-ticket holder, so I go and watch Spurs a lot. Well, you can’t have everything!!

I also do gym four times a week… and swim once a week.

Do you have any upcoming career plans that you can share, and what are you hoping the next year brings you?

I have an autobiography out – My Double Life – which is my life story. It’s not about me coming out!! Although that’s in there… In fact, there’s a lot in there…

I do lots of sports presenting, lots of corporate speaking and host events. And, with my sisters, I look after my mum… My inspiration.