Judge’s verdict: “The real deal”

It’s how Rob Rinder, the nation’s favourite sharp-witted TV judge and presenter, described Jason after a week at Juicy Oasis helped him restore body and mind

We know and love him as TV’s Judge Rinder who delivers his verdicts with an acerbic quip, a fabulous Strictly contestant and, most recently, as a Good Morning Britain host who doesn’t refrain from holding politicians accountable or calling out an injustice.

Quick-witted Rob is no slouch when it comes to staying fit and has run the London and New York marathons as well as participating in a gruelling race across the Namibian desert for Sport Relief in 2020. So, when his good friend, entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den star Sarah Willingham suggested a reset week at Juicy Oasis, Jason’s Portuguese luxury retreat, last year Rob agreed, a little unsure about what to expect from a week of just juice and fitness.

“Sarah and I met some time ago and it was platonic love at first sight,” says Rob. “We’re both really active and like to get away at least a couple of times a year to focus on our fitness. I’ve never struggled with motivation for exercise, but diet is something I’ve wrestled with over the years and so, at the end of a very decadent July, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to go.

“I’m generally quite nervous about regimens which centre on one thing and the first to call something out if I think it’s dubious, and at other boot camps I go purely to focus on working out and getting fit. Juicy Oasis is a more radical way to completely rethink your approach to health, and I was surprised at how I responded to it. I’m everything the place is not, as I don’t particularly enjoy sharing and being part of a community and when I arrived I didn’t know how I would react, but Juicy Oasis is beautiful and luxurious, and you instantly relax.

“Juicy Oasis is a more radical way to completely rethink your approach to health and I was surprised at how I responded to it”

First impressions

“We’d been sent a really thoughtful prejuicing plan by the retreats team which I’d promptly put in my in-box and ignored! We arrived in Lisbon the day before we were due at Juicy Oasis and Sarah and I went out for a Bacchanalian feast as our last meal. I arrived a bit stressed and unsure, but Sarah and I agreed we would try all the walks and wonderful activities which were on offer.

“In fact, apart from the diet, nothing was conscripted and there was a gentle sense you were there to learn – it was surprisingly very spiritual and intellectual. Jason is a unique human being and a true juice believer, and his authenticity and enthusiasm permeate every aspect of the retreat. In fact his energy and joy infects the space, the team and the whole experience.

“His welcome talk sets the tone with lots of humour and the sense that coming to the retreat is not really about diet, but rather about rethinking and reframing your relationship with your body – as he says, we’re here on a rental, so why not treat it kindly.

“Each day I would get up at 6am to run up to the village of Dornes and back, which is around 11.5km, then have a swim and do tough, but there was a moment when I was completely present and delighting in the movement. The closest I got to that again was on day four at Juicy Oasis when I went for a jog before sunrise – it was truly beautiful.

a weights session, all before 10am. By day three or four of drinking nothing but juice, I thought I’d be sapped of energy, but in fact I ran my fastest 11km since my 20s, and I absolutely loved it. There were mornings when I looked at my watch and I thought it couldn’t be right, even though I knew I was going quickly.

"I’d never juiced before and was a skeptic, largely because I wasn’t sure about the nutritional value. I’m not a scientist, but it felt counterintuitive and I questioned how juice can deliver what you need to perform, but clearly my body was getting enough.

“When I was running in the desert in Namibia for Sport Relief, it was

The full story

“There’s obviously no coffee or alcohol at Juicy Oasis and yet no part of me craved them. Everybody there embraced the regimen and the retreat is brilliantly architecturally curated so you can have your own space or be part of a community. Since coming back I’ve been more thoughtful about what I'm eating.

“Jason’s spin class is the best I’ve ever been to and he’s like a

“By day three or four of drinking nothing but juice, I thought I’d be sapped of energy, but in fact I ran my fastest 11km since my 20s”

whole new category of exercise, so energetic and spontaneous. I had a go at rebounding, but I couldn’t get on with it although Jason is so impressive, leaping high into the air – he’s like a spiritual guru crossed with Tigger.

“I loved the simplicity of having one thing to focus on and a routine to follow at Juicy Oasis. It really was awesome and I definitely want to go back, I’ve become a boring evangelist about it. In fact, Sarah and I agreed our new motto is that we should never be a week away from what you can achieve at Juicy Oasis.

“We were privileged to have Jason there and to get to spend so much time with him. I find his story fascinating and I wish that he’d write more about his life – he’s been on a real journey and has invested in researching, learning and getting his body to be the best it can be. He is the sum of everything he’s experienced and passionately wants to share this to help others, it’s real magic. Rob is also venturing into fiction writing with a first novel, The Trial, a page-turner about barrister-in-training Adam Green, which is due for publication in June 2023. A natural segue which draws on his own experience as a young barrister and his innate ability to entertain, the book will undoubtedly be a memorable read.

“It’s hard work,” says Rob. “I’ve edited other people’s work and write a regular column so I thought it would be easy, but there’s a difference between writing a novel and penning a personal viewpoint on things I am passionate about. I approached it with a certain degree of hubris, but it’s definitely more challenging than I thought it would be. However, the plot has got all the necessary ingredients and I think it will be a good read once it’s finished.”

Having shared the virtues of a week at Juicy Oasis in an Instagram post, writing, ‘Body back to marathon fitness and mind restored. @jasonvale is the real deal,’ Rob says he intends to return to the retreat this January, to recharge and, “Get beach fit” at the start of the year. Rest, relaxation, good nutrition and plenty of opportunities to improve your fitness – Juicy Oasis fits the bill and, in this case, the judge’s view is unequivocal. •

Magic maker

Talking of magic, Rob has played his own hand in supporting a number of causes, including a humanitarian mission to Ukraine. Working with two charities, he helped to evacuate 52 orphans, as well as to locate and support his former Strictly partner Oksana Platero’s family in their escape. In 2022, he also received an MBE, along with his mother, at Windsor Castle for services to education following the 2019 BBC series My Family, The Holocaust and Me.

Busy with a weekly show for talkRADIO, a regular column for the London Evening Standard, along with a new presenter role on Amazing Hotels and a regular presenter on Good Morning Britain, Rob is enjoying an amazing moment in his career. “Getting up at 3am for Good Morning Britain is tough," he admits. "My sleep pattern changes and that makes it hard to manage your food intake, but I am thinking more about how it serves my body.”

JURY’S IN

After Rob shared some mightily impressive shots of his honed body after weightlifting sessions in the gym at Juicy Oasis, fans and celebrity pals saluted his efforts, with Vanessa Feltz describing him as, ‘bionic!’ Just goes to show that a week on retreat can achieve stunning results!

JUICY OASIS Portugal

Relax, recharge & rejuvenate