The shocking reason so many British women are giving up running – and why men are to blame

British women are quitting outdoor exercise after being harassed by men on the street.

The UK is currently in the midst of an ‘epidemic of violence against women’, according Emily Clarkson, who recently shared how she was ‘humiliated’ after being catcalled while out walking.

The daughter of Jeremy Clarkson, a regular on ITV‘s Lorraine, shared the harrowing tale on a recent episode of the show, telling presenters how a group of men in a van had leered at her while she out walking her baby in a pram in London.

Appearing sobbing in a video, she recalled how she and her friend had been out walking her five month old baby when a group of men pulled down the window to shout and jeer at her.

Then, spotting her from a park bench, a man stood up proceeded to tail her down a path telling her she was gorgeous – the incident leaving her ‘angry, scared and humiliated’.

Her story is sadly not unique, and one shared by 97 per cent of women who have been subjected to sexual harassment in their lives, according to recent figures.

Speaking to Femail,  Chrissie Wunna, a 44-year-old TV personality from Doncaster, felt she had no other option other than to quit going to the gym after constantly being harassed by men.

Elsewhere, writer Minreet Kaur, 44,  found herself questioning whether to give up her passion for running following a series of negative experiences being harassed and even chased by men. Pictured 

 In March 2021,  the disappearance of Sarah Everard triggered a nationwide discussion over the safety of women and young girls on UK streets – even prompting government to lay out a plan to increase provisions, such as increase budgets for lighting and security cameras, to improve the situation. 

Four years later and many are still making the same complaints. Not only do women feel unsafe on their home roads, but are forfeiting integral parts of their lives to ensure their safety.

A study by the Women in Sport charity found that one million girls who once considered themselves sporty, disengage with their passions before adulthood, citing a sense of unsafety and lack of confidence as reasons.

Even those who carry their sport in to adulthood, feel they are being left no choice but to abandon their game.

A glamorous model too, Chrissie is no stranger to receiving attention from men. But while once able to brush of the advances of lustful strangers, she soon found herself too ‘anxious’ and had to quit. 

She is used to being in the limelight having starred in reality shows, including Naked Attraction, First Dates, and Love at First Lie, but found herself under an even closer microscope when walking into a gym.

‘I used to work out all the time and go to gym, but I had to stop going because it got to the point where as soon as I walked in I was getting looked at, leered at and chatted up almost every minute,’ she told MailOnline.

Far from enjoying her workout, she described being plagued by constant leers and advances from male gymgoers. 

‘It would happen all the time I went to the gym, so it wasn’t just a one off,’ she explained.

‘I couldn’t wait to leave,’ she said, adding that some even some even took it as far as to film her without permission. 

‘Guys were filming my chest when I was on a treadmill or literally writing their numbers or Instas on my water bottle.

‘I couldn’t even stand alone for five minutes without someone asking me out. 

‘It was mental..and now after telly even more crazy. So I never go now and I’ll never go again.’

While she knew that being in the public eye would make her more susceptible to attention, she had hoped that time in the gym would give her respite from her hectic lifestyle.   

‘I don’t mind the attention I understand my job, but when I was at the gym, I kinda just wanted my own space and time away from work..and I just wasn’t allowed that.’

The attention she received was wall to wall. 

Chrissie described one incident she couldn’t even get past the front desk without being ‘hit on by the guy at the front’, and just moments later again when she got on the treadmill. 

‘It was almost like the whole place had stopped to look at me,’ she said. But she chose to ignore those starting at her and carry on with her workout out, only to then be approached again.

‘A guy asked me who I was and if I was single on my walk to it, I was getting loads of winks and guys where all nudging each other,’ she explained.

‘When I’m on the treadmill for 5 mins another guy comes up to me tells me I’m pretty, looks at my chest and says ‘they’re big’ and hands me a business card whilst I’m on the treadmill. 

And things didn’t end there. ‘I got to the treadmill another guy comes up and asks me if I need any help, then proceeds to ask if I’m seeing anyone, compliments me on my body… I’m busty..so whenever I go into a gym, it’s a thing…’

On another occasion, she walked in the gym and found herself being filmed by a group of men while she was working out.

One man offered to fill up her water bottle, to which Chrissie accepted, believing him to be doing her a kindness. But once again, his intentions proved less friendly when he returned the bottle and had written his number on it.  

Despite being face with a barrage of lusting onlookers each and every time she entered the facility, no one ever offered to step in, and Chrissie found herself not wanting to ‘make a fuss’.

‘I just wanted to leave because it was really off putting. I once had a trainer. Even they asked me out.’

Constantly feeling like ‘everyone was staring’ left Chrissie with ‘anxiety’. Feeling as though she was only ever looked at as a ‘piece of meat’, she eventually made the decision to call it quits on going to the gym.

She vowed ‘never to go to a public gym’, and said she’d only feel comfortable should she build in her own home. 

‘It’s completely put me off going to the gym. I never go. I hate it. I just go on walks.   

‘I used to go a lot, all the time and then just completely stopped and haven’t been for years,’ she said.

Anna Fawaz is a personal trainer living in London, who has witnessed firsthand how impacted women are when faced with intimidation or harassment in gyms.  

‘Women can often feel intimidated by the male-dominated weight areas,’ she noted, adding that she has often had to accompany clients in weight areas to give them the confidence to enter them.

‘Many women initially perceive men in the gym as intimidating,’ she said.

‘While I’ve helped improve confidence in many women to train independently, I also recognise that some women still don’t feel comfortable working out alone. 

Instead, she has noted an uptick in the number of women opting for spaces that are predominantly female.

Such as choosing ‘one-on-one sessions or female dominated classes like legs, bums and tums because they feel uneasy about being stared at or feeling uncomfortable in the male-dominated weight section.

‘For these women, having a supportive environment is essential for their progress and well-being.’

And she has personal experiences of her own, recalling an incident in which she forfeited her own gym membership after being pursued repeatedly by a man.

‘I cancelled my gym membership at a gym I really liked because a guy kept chatting me up while I was trying to work out and refused to leave,’ she said.

Incidents of harassment isn’t limited to the confines of gym walls. 

Minreet, a passionate runner, but has recently found herself questioning whether to give up the hobby following a series of negative experiences being harassed and even chased by men. 

She recalled the first time she went running with a friend and was beeped at several times by two men during the early hours of the morning. 

Minreet began running in her forties as an outlet to help keep her grounded while caring for her mother, who has myeloma.

‘I turn to running as it helps me as an outlet and it mentally and physically helps me to deal with my day. I love running for fitness, health and just for general wellbeing.’

But her love for running has been tainted by unpleasant experiences on the road as she explained she’d been subjected to catcalling on numerous occasions. 

‘I always get men horning and saying something. I have had a few guys laugh as I run past and say something which I can’t hear as it’s so quick. 

‘I have had men shout out ‘oi sexy’ out the window and it’s always when I am road running that men feel the need to horn and say something. One time I had a man blow kisses and even sometimes when I am with my mum they still do it.’

She has even experienced men catcalling her when she has been out running with her mother, and now more often finds herself sticking to parks which  ‘are mostly full of families.’

While she doesn’t want to have to give up her passion, she has been left ‘so paranoid’ of running on her own near her home in West London, an area she feels is particularly affected by catcalling issues.

‘In some places I speak to women and they feel so safe. I just feel it’s not safe and it’s quite scary,’ she said. Though it isn’t something she wants to give up, since ‘not running makes me feel depressed.’

‘It’s massively affected my confidence and feelings of safety. When I run alone I am always alert and looking over my shoulder. I don’t feel safe. 

‘I prefer to run with my dad who is an avid runner he is 77, I feel safe with my dad, or on Sundays we run as a group a mix of men and women and then I feel safe. 

‘I really feel like running less now as I have to drive to a park and run instead of feeling free to run wherever I like.’

She has even considered throwing in the towel at one point and has looked at taking up other kids of exercise. 

‘I have thought about other exercises but that would be swimming or the gym which I do already but running is so much more fun and I love the outdoors. 

‘I just feel for women in the UK especially it’s not safe. I would love to move to another country like Japan or Singapore just so I can run anytime of the day and feel safe, that’s how much running means to me.