Robert Gillett aka Robbie

My name is Robert Gillett, my friends call me Robbie and a lot of people now know me through Beneath The Tracksuit. If you’ve landed here, you’ve probably seen a piece of my writing, heard me on stage, or stumbled across one of my raw posts online. However you found me, welcome and thank you for being here.

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I’ve always believed in being real. No filters, no pretence, no masks. That’s what you’ll get from me in my words, my books, my music, my stage shows, and even here on this website.

But before all that, let me take you back a little.​

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Growing up

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I was born in Lincolnshire and moved to Essex when I was 10. My childhood was far from glamorous, but it gave me grit. It gave me the ability to take knocks, to keep moving even when life shoved me down, and to understand people from all walks of life. Essex is loud, unapologetic, definitely not as clean or as “reem” as you may see on TV. 

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I wasn’t a bookworm kid. I wasn’t sitting with journals or dreaming about becoming a poet. I was living life head on, like many young people do. But looking back, I can see the cracks forming even then, battles with mental health that I didn’t have the words for at the time. I just carried it, bottled it, and wore a mask.

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Diagnosis & The Turning Point

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Everything shifted the day I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). You never really prepare yourself for that kind of news. One day, you’re walking through life carrying everyday stress, the next, your whole reality is cracked wide open.

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MS isn’t just physical. Yes, it’s the fatigue, the pain, the mobility changes, the uncertainty of waking up and not knowing what your body will do that day. But it’s also the mental war, the grief for the life you thought you’d have, the anger, the fear, the “why me?” that creeps in at 3 a.m.

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And alongside that, my battles with mental health, depression, anxiety, dark thoughts that sometimes felt louder than anything else grew heavier. I’d been carrying that weight for years, but MS made me face it head on.

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But here’s the truth, that diagnosis didn’t end me. It made me.

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Life Moves West

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Fast forward, and life took me from Essex to Cornwall, where I live now with my wife and our two children. Cornwall couldn’t be more different from where I grew up. It’s calmer, slower, and in many ways it gave me the space to start exploring myself and my battles more deeply.

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Family life grounds me. My wife has been my anchor through storms I didn’t even know I could survive, and my children give me purpose in ways I can’t always explain in words. They see me for me, not the diagnosis, not the struggles, just Dad. And that means everything.

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Writing as Survival

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I didn’t find writing. Writing found me. Out of the late nights, the hospital visits, the moments where I thought I couldn’t take another step, words started to pour out. Honest, gritty, unpolished words.

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At first, I wrote for myself. Scribbled poems. Fragments of thought. Survival notes. But soon, I realised these words weren’t just mine. They spoke to people fighting their own battles, people who didn’t know how to talk about what they were going through.

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And so, with a lot of persuading from my wife Beneath The Tracksuit was born. A name that says it all. Because so many of us wear a mask, a tracksuit, a uniform, a smile, hiding the chaos, the pain, the survival underneath. My work is about lifting that mask, showing the raw truth, and saying “you’re not alone.”

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Books & Spoken Word

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My words turned into books.

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Thoughts of a Warrior

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A Diagnosis Journey

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I Don’t Like Poetry

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End of Chapter 36

Each book holds pieces of me, raw, honest and straight from the front lines of life with mental health and MS.

But writing on a page wasn’t enough. I needed to speak. To perform. To take the words into the air where they belong. Spoken word became my outlet. I began presenting open mic nights, creating spaces where others could share their truths.

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And then, music. Lo-fi, spoken word, rap infused projects. Because sometimes words need rhythm. They need a beat. They need to hit like a punch and soothe like a whisper all in the same breath.

For me, writing and performing aren’t hobbies. They’re lifelines.

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Advocacy & Ambassador Work

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Out of my writing grew something bigger than me. Community.

I now stand as an Ambassador for Cornwall Mind, and I’m proud to use my voice as a mental health and disability advocate. This isn’t just about me, it’s about all of us who live behind diagnoses, behind stigma, behind the silence society often forces on us.

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I’ve built online spaces where people can share their stories, their struggles, their wins. Connectivity matters. Talking matters. Because isolation kills, and silence suffocates. Every time one person speaks out, it opens the door for another. That’s why I’ll never stop.

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Beyond the Battles

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Yes, much of my work is rooted in disability, in mental health, in survival. But not all of it. Because life isn’t just battles. It’s also laughter. It’s also ridiculous moments, light hearted poetry, fun pieces that exist just for the joy of it.

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I don’t want to be defined by MS. Or by depression. Or by labels. I am a husband, a father, a writer, a performer, a bloke who loves creating, laughing, and connecting with people. My work reflects that. Some of it will cut deep. Some of it will make you smile. That’s life.

Why It Matters So Much

Why do I do this? Because words helped save my life. And if they saved mine, they might just save someone else’s.

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I want my children to grow up in a world where talking about your battles isn’t weakness. I want people who feel invisible to realise they are seen. I want those sitting in the dark at 3 a.m. to stumble on my words and feel a spark of recognition.

I want to use every platform I have, whether it's books, stage, music, social media, this website, to keep breaking down the walls around mental health and disability.

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That’s why Beneath The Tracksuit isn’t just a project. It’s my life.

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Where I Am Now?

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Right now, I’m still writing, still performing, still building. There are new books in the works, an album on the horizon, a stage show developing, and always, always, always more words to come.

This site is the home for all of it. My words, my projects, my advocacy, my updates. If you’re here, you’re part of it too.

So, welcome again. Pull up a chair. Explore the site. Read, listen, watch. Reach out if something hits you. Because at the end of the day, Beneath The Tracksuit isn’t just about me… it’s about us.