Irene Estry: The Woman Who Fell in Love with Movement

There are few stories in the world of health and fitness quite as extraordinary as that of Irene Estry. At 84 years old, she is still teaching weekly exercise classes in Manchester, still inspiring everyone she meets, and still radiating the kind of energy that makes you want to get up and move. But to understand Irene, you need to go back to 1979 and to a chance encounter that would change her life forever.

It was a friend who first introduced Irene to fitness that year, just a few weeks after their initial meeting. The friend suggested they attend a class run by a woman who Irene describes simply as "the most amazing woman" she had ever encountered. That woman was Lotti and the moment Irene walked into her class, something shifted. Irene was so struck by what she saw that she went straight up to Lotti and asked her to train her. She wasn't the only notable face in the room, either Dame Joan Collins was among those in the class, a testament to just how ahead of its time Lotti's teaching was.

Irene trained with Lotti for two and a half years, immersing herself in a method of movement that drew on the principles developed by José Pilates the visionary physical trainer whose work is now practised by millions around the world. At the time it had no such famous name attached to it, but the philosophy was the same: controlled, mindful movement that strengthens the body from the inside out. Irene fell completely in love with it. "I fell in love," she says simply, and you believe every word.

From that foundation, a remarkable career was built. Irene became one of the very first people to run exercise classes in Manchester, eventually becoming the resident fitness guru at ITV Granada, where she trained Coronation Street legends including Pat Phoenix, Helen Worth and Denise Welch. Her route into television came through Pat Phoenix, who told her colleagues at Granada how Irene's sessions had helped ease her back pain and the rest, as they say, is history. Irene has remained a permanent fixture at the ITV Studios for decades, even serving as a body double on the soap at one point.