Article by Sabrina Barr | @fabsab5
John Legend has drawn praise for revealing he's finally learning to swim aged 40, with many people thanking him for demonstrating it's never too late to pick up the valuable skill.
The singer, who's one of 15 individuals to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony award, recently shared with his 12.4 million Twitter followers that he "can't really swim".
Despite singing that his "head's under water" in hit song "All of Me", on 28 January Legend finally dove into the deep end by participating in his first swimming lesson in 35 years.
"Today I took my first swim lesson since I was like five," the singer tweeted.
"My dad learned in his 60s so I feel Iike I'm ahead of schedule."
One of five adults in England are unable to swim, the Institute of Swimming states.
The organisation also outlines that more than two million adults in the country want to learn how to swim, having missed out on the opportunity as children.
Numerous people have expressed their gratitude towards Legend for normalising the notion of an adult learning how to swim.
"I'm taking swim lessons this spring. Thanks for sharing your story. I no longer feel ashamed," one person tweeted.
"Thank you for sharing this. So many people worry they're too old to learn, so it always helps to know they're not alone," someone else commented.
Another person asked Legend whether he was learning to swim with his and Chrissy Teigen's two young children, two-year-old Luna and eight-month-old Miles.
"They already started months ago!" Legend responded.
Knowing how to swim is a practical skill that can boost your fitness, prevent injuries and ensure your safety, swimming news outlet SwimSwam explains.
"Learning how to swim as an adult can help with the safety of those around you and prevent accidental death by drowning," the organisation states.
"With all of these reasons, there’s no excuse why you shouldn’t consider swimming as an adult."