A FORMER Mr Great Britain winner and Olympic medalist from Blackburn has died aged 75.

Alan Robinson helped Britain win the bronze medal in Rome in 1960 as part of the weightlifting team event.

Known as AJ, he was also a successful plumber, ran a gym in Darwen and was a talented singer.

The father-of-six was born and raised in Blackburn, living in Preston Old Road and later in Wales.

His daughter Wendy Woods said her father had been ‘incredibly proud’ of what he had achieved, with a Commonwealth medal joining the Olympic bronze and dozens of bodybuilding titles in his collection.

The 48-year-old, of Newington Avenue, said: “Lots of people in Blackburn knew him. "Whenever I bumped into people in the town they would always ask about my dad.

“Everyone seemed to look up to him, and he did very well for himself.”

Despite standing at just 5ft 1inch tall, Mr Robinson won a string of weightlifting titles in the featherweight and bantamweight categories.

He was crowned Mr Great Britain in 1953, saying a daily morning drink of six egg yolks, milk and bananas helped him maintain his impressive physique.

His children were also encouraged to drink the mixture, which Ms Woods said had been ‘delicious’.

Her father had also been a tenor singer, she said, and was recently given an honorary badge from Princess Anne in recognition of his Olympic exploits.

She added: “He used to brag about it all the time. In his heart he was a champion, even when he was a little old man.”

As a plumber, Mr Robinson pioneered the production of bath tubs tucked away in cupboards in small houses.