A FITNESS fanatic aged 31 collapsed during a gym workout and died despite desperate efforts to save him..

Financial adviser Neil Wickers, of St Alban's Road, Darwen, collapsed at the Albion Mill gym at Ewood, Blackburn, and shocked bodybuilders watched as an off-duty policeman and a nurse tried to revive him.

Paramedics continued the lifesaving effort but they could not revive him.

Neil's devastated family were today hoping that a post-mortem examination would shed some light on the tragedy.

His brother, Bill, of Ashleigh Street, Darwen, said today: "We have no idea what happened.

"We are waiting for the post-mortem examination before we will know anything.

"We are a very close family. Neil was a clean-living and dedicated man who enjoyed his friends and family." Co-owner of the gym, Dave Cowell, described Neil as a "credit to the sport."

He said: "Everybody here is just stunned. He was a great bloke and was dedicated to the sport.

"He came here for more than 10 years and was extremely popular.

"He had just finished his training session and was giving some advice to a couple of younger members when he collapsed.

"Two of the members, a policeman and a nurse, tried to revive him until the ambulance arrived.

"Everybody was just so shocked afterwards because it could have been any one of us.

"Neil was a clean-living guy who didn't drink or smoke. He was respected here and people were always asking his advice. I suppose it is just one of those things."

Mr Wickers, who has a five-year-old daughter, Page, worked for Standard Life Insurance in Manchester.

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