BODYCOACH superstar Joe Wicks has thanked an environmental campaigner for 'saving his life' after his jet board broke down and he became stranded on rocks at a beauty spot.

The Youtube sensation got into difficulties yesterday while visiting Lulworth with his wife, Rosie, to celebrate his 36th birthday.

The pair went out to sea on their boards but Joe's board's engine then flooded, forcing him to scramble onto nearby rocks.

He frantically waved to a passing boat for help and was spotted by environmental campaigner Oly Rush, 36, a plasterer from Poole, on his vessel Sea Rex.

Oly had been scouring the coastline with other members of his group Clean Jurassic Coast to pick rubbish out of the water when he heard Joe's cries of 'Help! SOS'.

Due to the rocky coastline, Joe had to swim out a short distance to Oly's boat who took him back to Lulworth.

His wife Rosie was not with them as she had gone to get help, so they were reunited later.

Oly, who recently set the world record for swimming around the Isle of Wight in 15 hours and nine minutes, said: "We were out on a beach clean on my boat, Sea Rex, with others from Clean Jurassic Coast, when we noticed this guy signalling to us from the rocks.

"As I got closer I said, 'Hang on, don't I recognise you? You're Joe Wicks!' It was completely random.

"He had a little jet board he'd been taking from Lulworth to Durdle Door but the engine filled with water.

"It was his birthday and he was visiting Dorset with his wife.

"He swam up to our boat because we couldn't get any closer to the rocks and he jumped on board and we took him back to Lulworth. His wife had gone to get help."

Speaking on Instagram, Joe called Oly a 'hero'.

He said: "I waved to these guys going past and I said, 'help, SOS!'

"And these guys who are out here cleaning all the rubbish picked me up - so thank you Oly for saving my life.

"Rosie just left me. We're on our way back to Lulworth Cove, so we made it. The board is struggling."

As he approached Lulworth Cove, he shouted: "Rosie, you can call off the search party, I'm alive."

After he was rescued, Joe went back out on his board and posted a video on Instagram.