It's been a whirlwind week for James DeGale since the Harlesden star won gold at the Beijing Olympics.
Here, in a frank Q&A interview at his home with the Harrow Observer sports editor, Tim Edwards, the 22-year-old reveals how he did it, his future plans and how a tough ultimatum from his family put him back on the straight and narrow after some troubled teenage years.

How are you enjoying your new-found fame?

"I've been so busy the last 48 hours. I've not had much sleep but at the same time I can't wait to get up each day as it is such an exciting time for me at the moment. I've done all the hard work so I can lap up all of this attention now and enjoy it before I have to go back and concentrate on my training. I'm going on A Question of Sport and the Jonathan Ross Show next week. It's just mad.
"It is a weird feeling getting recognised, when I went to the Chinese takeaway the other day they were calling me 'champion' and stuff. Then I was one the phone the other day after getting my hair cut and one guy came up to me and would not stop shaking my hand."

What were your hopes and expectations before heading to Beijing?

"Before I went I was just proud to be an Olympian, but to become an Olympic champion is just unbelievable. When I got there and saw the draw I thought I would miss out on a medal. Because the best Russian boxer at that weight was there, the reigning Olympic champion, Bakhitiyar Artayev was there and also Darren Sutherland, who had previously beaten me four times. I just couldn't believe it and a lot of people gave me no chance.
"But my first two fights [against Egypt's Mohamed Hikal and USA's Shawn Estrada] were pretty easy. I boxed Artayev in the quarter finals, beat him and got a medal. I was surprised with how easy it was for me.
"Then to beat Darren in an Olympic semi final was something else. To do it there made up for my previous defeats to him."

At what point did you feel you could go on and win a medal, let alone the gold?

"When I beat Artayev I thought I could go on to the final. I knew I could beat Sutherland but I still had a few doubts in my mind. But when I got in the ring with him and loosened up, everything started to flow and I thought to myself: 'Oh my God, this is easy'.

The final against Cuba's Emilio Correa was a scrappy affair. How did you see it?

"I was 6-1 up, held him and I felt him bite me. I couldn't believe it. He should have really been disqualified. None of them could beat me boxing-wise with skill. They tried to get inside me head by roughing me up and throwing me to the floor.
"Terry [Edwards, Team GB's boxing coach] kept on calling out the scores to me and was telling me to keep calm. I didn't cry during the national anthem but when I got back to the press conference people were coming up to me for photos and little kids were hugging me. That got me a bit emotional."

Were you inspired by Team GB's bulging medal haul by the time the final came around?

"Most definitely. I saw the swimmer, Rebecca Adlington showing off her medals in the Olympic Village and I had a chat with her. I just thought 'I could have one of those in 10 days'. I was inspired and spurred on by all the other British athletes.

What preparations did you make for the Games?

"My training, from the running to the mental state, went perfect and that helped me. You've got to think positively and watch all your good performances on tape. I knew I was top five in the world before I left for Beijing but to be an Olympic champion, up there with all the greats like Ali and Leonard is just unbelievable.
"If you don't have any self-belief in yourself then you are in trouble. You might as well not be in the sport. I went through a bad patch where I doubted whether I could do it at this level, but I stayed positive and came through it. Everyone knew I had it in me and it worked out at the right time."

Any pre-fight superstitions?

"I'm trying to get away from it but I always put my left glove and boot on first. I put my other boot on first one time and had to start over again."
James' mother Diane, pitches in: "His superstition probably stems from me. I texted him in the day and before each fight I sent him a motivational text. Then when I woke up in the morning I had to make sure he received my good luck text before he fought. If I didn't do it before every fight I thought something might happen or that I might jinx it."

How has boxing changed you?

"Boxing has made me a better man. It has given me discipline and people respect you. I'd love to have loads of kids looking up to me wanting to do what I am doing. Hopefully people like me because I am just myself.
"When you are achieving things like this it is hard not to get carried away but my parents keep my feet on the ground. I will never think I am too big for my boots. I know where I am from and who I have to look after.
"I was never the academic type, I can't sit at a computer all day, it's just not my thing. I left school but I'm not thick. I was always a bit naughty and mischievous at school.
"I can't kick or throw a ball yet, all I can do is punch and fight. That is what I'm good at. Everyone has something they are good at and boxing is my thing, it's me."
James's mum Diane said: "He was always boisterous and he got labeled for that. He was struggling with his learning and his tactics were to be naughty to get away from the classroom situation so he would not have to learn."
Diane also revealed DeGale was something of a tearaway during his teens and that she had no choice but to issue him with a tough ultimatum.
She said: "My dad took him boxing to let him get his anger and aggression out in the ring. He was a right little bruiser and he loved it. He did it until he was 13 or 14 and that is when he started going off the rails with girls, peer pressure, smoking. He would climb out of his bedroom window sometimes.
"I've got three other kids and we never had any problems with them. It got to the point where I said to his dad: 'that is it, take him to Social Services as I won't let him ruin this family'. We packed his backs and took him outside. His dad and I played good cop, bad cop before we brought him back inside. We sat him down with all the family and they expressed how they felt. We told him you have got one of two choices - we put you in Social Services or you knuckle down, go back to boxing, do as we tell you and stop the friends, and he did it."

So what are your future plans? Will you turn pro or stay amateur?

"I'm going to chill for the next two months and take in how wonderful the past month has been and how much I have made people feel proud of the country. I will make a decision [about whether to turn pro] when the time feels right, but all I know is it is going to be a very hard one.
"I've now achieved one of my ambitions and the other is to become world champion. Other Olympic champions like Ali, Lennox Lewis, Oscar de la Hoya, look at where they are now. That is where I want to be."