BODYBUILDER Paul Kent will compete in Mr Universe this weekend.

Paul, 33, who trains at Hercules Gym in Colne Bank Avenue, Colchester, will be part of a 14- strong team representing Great Britain at the event in Germany.

He has only taken part in two novice events since his return to bodybuilding.

Paul, of Spring Road, St Osyth, said: “I have always wanted to do this since I was a kid.

“I wanted to look a certain way as I got older, and I was really into bodybuilding in my early twenties.

“I got out of it for a while when it was a little too much, but after joining Hercules Gym three years ago I’ve got back into it. You have to give up a lot of your social life.

”But I am now living the dream.”

Competitors at the World Amateur Body Building Association event in Rodalben, Germany will flex their muscles on stage.

Paul, who works for the Colchester Council-run North Essex Parking Partnership, said: “That moment on stage is fantastic, but I am excited and nervous. My friends and family think it’s great.”