hard cell
THE UK's toughest prison guard has earned respect both outside of his job and within it - and for good reason.
Sam Duthie, 33, works as a prison officer in Buckinghamshire, but as one of the UK's strongest men, his hobbies are unconventional.
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Sam, who describes himself as a "gentle giant", is highly respected by prisoners and co-workers at his demanding job.
For the past six years, he's worked at HMP Aylesbury and has "found it impossible" to hide his incredible figure and muscles from the inmates.
The inmates at Aylesbury treat him like a celebrity after he returns from his various escapades.
In 2021, Sam was crowned as the second strongest man in England, and can even lift cars and pull lorries with his muscles.
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He told the : "The prisoners are fully aware of it. Last year I competed for the UK’s Strongest Man, which was on Channel 5, and since then they all know what I do.
"The prisoners were all very excited about it - they treated me like Messi or Ronaldo when I came into work after the competition.
"Initially I thought it would be an issue, but it hasn't been at all. Although I am big, once the prisoners get to know me, they realise that I am just a friendly giant.
"I am a very calm and very level-headed person, and I think that is what wins prisoners' respect."
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Sam is currently training to compete for the UK Title of Strongest Man, and his regime is meticulous.
But his work as a prison officer has prepared him for his intensive training, and he believes it will set him up for success.
Sam said: "I've got to constantly consider eating my meals, calorie intake, water intake and I've got to train when I don't want to train.
"I need to be very disciplined with my training and also disciplined as a prison officer to keep people safe and help the prisoners to turn their lives around."
Sam's interest in strongman competitions began when he was young, and he entered his first contest at age 18.
He told his mum he wanted to be in the contests after watching them growing up, and surprised her when he began pursuing it.
Sam said: "Thankfully I don't have any war stories like some of the athletes who have literally broken their back or limbs.
"From my perspective, the challenge is trying to balance my life at work and competing."
Sam is hard at work to get his next title, and continues to pull lorries which can weigh between 8 and 18 tonnes.
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