'I did a striptease off the cuff in front of millions - so it's hard to be embarrassed if you do a bad interview on a racecourse'

It is just after 10am on London’s Portobello Road and the renowned vintage market has yet to swing into life. Instead, the engines of supercars roll by as the well-dressed and better-connected conduct their cafe meetings with breezy composure. Frankie Foster fits right in. 

The 28-year-old has transitioned from fitness instructor on one of Britain’s most-watched TV programmes to an assiduous member of the media via his growing role with Racing TV’s social media project Raceday.

Gaps in his schedule are hard to find but an opportunity has arisen a short walk from his Notting Hill flat. Our meeting precedes a rare visit to see his family in Cheltenham, where his interest in racing was born only by chance as a teenager.