Entertainment · Celebrity · 4 hrs ago
Alex Hassell says a personal trainer helped him prepare for Rivals
Alex Hassell says he worked with a personal trainer to prepare for his role as Rupert Campbell-Black in the Disney+ series Rivals.
He said he did not follow extreme diets and that building the character’s physique took work.
Hassell said he initially doubted whether he could play Rupert, a confident and powerful man.
The series is based on Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel, and Hassell has played Rupert across its first two seasons.
Cooper praised his performance before she died in October 2025.
Hassell said their final conversation was moving because she told him she was proud of his work.
Rivals’ second-season episodes return on November 11, continuing the story after the mid-season finale and Monica Baddingham’s death.
Alex Hassell said a personal trainer helped him get in shape to play Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals.
He said he did not follow any extreme diets and that achieving the look took a lot of work.
Hassell said he had doubted his ability to play Rupert, whom he described as the “ultimate alpha male.”
He also recalled a final conversation with author Jilly Cooper, who told him she was proud of his performance.
Rivals is a Disney+ series based on Cooper’s 1988 novel.
- Who
- Actor Alex Hassell, who plays Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals.
- What
- Hassell said a personal trainer helped him get in shape for the role, and that he did not follow any extreme diets.
- When
- The interview was reported on 3 November 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Hassell was preparing to play Rupert Campbell-Black in Rivals.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Jilly Cooper’s novel on which Rivals is based was published.
Jilly Cooper died.
The Daily Mail reported Hassell’s comments about preparing for the role and his final conversation with Cooper.
Rivals was scheduled to return with the final episodes of its second series.
- Actor
- Alex Hassell
- Character
- Rupert Campbell-Black
- Preparation
- Personal trainer; no “crazy diets
- Series
- Rivals, a Disney+ show based on Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel
- Cooper’s death
- October 2025
What people are saying
I do think it's important to say that I had a personal trainer, and I didn't do any crazy diets.
It's not that people are just supposed to look like that – it took a lot of work.
I'm so glad to have met her and to have spent time with her and to be told explicitly by her that she was really proud of what I was doing.