The Rock reveals the surprisingly touching reason he started going to the gym at 14

We know a few things about The Rock.

We know he was born with the name Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, on the grounds that his wrestling name was retroactively fitted to his birth certificate (probably).

We know everyone wishes he was their best friend and their dad at the same time.

We know you should never call him out on Twitter.

And, finally, we know his arms are bigger than your entire body. But we didn’t know why. Until now.

In a new UnderArmour ad, the actor (and future President?) is kitted out in a hoodie bearing the message ‘Wrestling out of Hawaii, USA’.

However, as he explains, the original plan was for the hoodie to reference Memphis – where he began his professional wrestling career – before he intervened.

“[UnderArmour] asked me if the back of my new hoodie should read ‘Wrestling out of Memphis’ since that’s where I started my grind at 24yrs old,” he explains.

“I said, no it should read, ‘Wrestling out of Hawaii’ since my grind actually started when we were evicted off the island with no where [sic] to live when I was 14yrs old.”

“I made a promise to myself that I’d do everything I could to make sure my family never got evicted again. And at 14 the only thing I knew I had control over was my effort, so I got my ass to the one place I could give that effort — the gym.

“I know it may seem fucked up psychologically, but every day I still train in the gym and operate my business like I’m getting evicted and my back’s up against the wall.

“Not ashamed of it, because it’s who I am. My DNA.”

He has always been a man of principle, and even if he’s a bit of a geek, the actor can never be accused of not staying true to himself.

(Images: Rex)