Clayton Paterson’s life changed in an instant. Within a two-month span, the smoking hot muscle daddy got divorced, retired from his corporate law job and came out as gay.
At 57 years old, he was reborn.
Eight years later, Paterson is living the gay dream. Happily partnered, he spends his Fourth of July in Fire Island and enjoys an Instagram following that would make any influencer quiver. But that doesn’t mean Paterson is solely about the aesthetics, either.
Now 65, the gay fitness model possesses a wealth of knowledge about living well and staying mentally sharp. Youth may be wasted on the young, but it certainly isn’t wasted on Paterson!
Queerty recently caught up with the silver fox to talk about his sensible fitness routine, how to grab his attention on the apps and the art of aging like fine wine. Here’s what he had to say…
QUEERTY: You came out at 57, and you say that’s when you started getting serious about your fitness. What was the connection between the two?
Clayton Paterson: Right about that time, it was pretty stressful. I divorced, came out and retired all within a two-month period. I think one thing that kept me even was going to the gym. Then I had a bout of sciatica, so I couldn’t do triathlons any more–and I love to compete. So I did a few fitness competitions. That’s when I really transformed my body. I was always fit, I was always lean, but I got a coach who gave me a routine to follow and a diet. It worked.
That is a lot of change in a very short span: divorce, retiring, coming out…
It was, and you always have in the back of your mind—I’m not sure what your experience was—we all have this journey that we’re on. For me, I had in the back of my mind that it would be fine. I was ready for it, my kids would be great, my friends would be fine. But you always have that little doubt: “how are people going to react?” When I came out, it was just “thank goodness.” It was such a silver lining.
What is your fitness routine today?
It’s a little less intense. It’s more bodyweight stuff—I try to do 200 pushups per day, 200 ab exercises. Then I have a whole stretching routine to keep my sciatica at bay. It’s worked. I’ve been sciatica free for five years, which is great. Then some weights. Different days it’s a chest day, then a back day, shoulders, arms, legs and glutes. Just trying to keep my boyish figure!
What’s the best advice you would give people, and particularly gay men, about aging?
Wow! That’s a good question. Diet is important, but I think the gym every day is the most important thing we can do. We’ve got to keep our muscle mass and it just helps with everything. It helps with facial features, keeping the weight off. I don’t have that saggy neck. I still have some abs, but genetics plays a role. I’ve always been pretty thin, which has helped.
But I have three pillars, and my kids can recite this: sleep, exercise and broccoli. I have broccoli every day. Just good nutrition, but don’t go overboard! I eat chocolate, I love honeycombs. Every night, I have a bowl of honeycombs before I go to bed. I make cookies, so I have dessert virtually every night. But moderation: no alcohol, obviously no cigarettes, I don’t drink any juice or soda. I drink water and milk.
When you talk about it, it kind of sounds like, “That’s pretty stringent. That guy is kind of out there.” But it’s a very easy thing. Listen, put a Whitney song on, and I’m the first guy on the dance floor without my shirt on. I don’t need the drugs or alcohol to have a great, great time.
How did you get into modeling, and what do you enjoy the most about it?
I had a whole other career. I was a lawyer for Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey. And I was about to retire, and I had always thought about modeling, so I gave it a shot. I had a photo shoot done, and they looked at my photos and said, “Oh they’re fine, but there are a lot of guys your age, so it’s going to be really tough for you.” Plus, I had a full-time job, so I couldn’t do it then.
But once I retired, a couple years had passed, and I thought “I would like to give this a shot.” So I got in touch with a friend in New Jersey who’s a photographer, and he knew an agent in Fort Lauderdale, so he connected me. I did the photo shoot, he hired me, I got one great job through him. Then I met other models in the area who have been doing it for a long time, and they got me with other agents, and all of a sudden it just started to go.
I absolutely love it. I have a great time. I’ve done some amazing things. I was on a Russian oligarch’s yacht–250 feet–we’re doing a shoot. I get to ride the wave runner and the little engine that takes you under the water. Just a lot of fun: several yachts, casinos, a little bit of clothing, not a lot. Underwear yes, particularly on Instagram. I get a lot of free stuff. I got all kinds of protein stuff, a lot of supplements. I’m a little leery of supplements, because I don’t believe in them. But if it’s something like a multi-vitamin, then yeah, I’ll promote it. It’s been great.
What do you and [your partner] Sheldon like to do together?
We’re very different. We have very different interests, but we have a lot of fun when we’re together. I’m a big swimmer, he doesn’t really like to swim much. But he does love the water. We love theatre, we love the same movies, we love the same music. We just have a great time together. We actually met each other in New York City about five years ago. It took a couple of years before we got to the point where we really wanted to decide we’re gonna be partners and date. But yeah, we’ve dated for about 2.5 years now. He lives in Phoenix, I live in Fort Lauderdale, so we’re kind of doing a bi-costal thing. But it works. We just got back from a two-week vacation in Croatia. Phenomenal! I hope it’s on your bucket list!
What’s the wildest thing anybody has ever said in your DMs?
Oh jeez! You can imagine what I get! I kind of expect some racy, kind of sexy, “Hey Daddy…”
Well, let me ask this: what’s the best way to get your attention on the apps?
It’s interesting. Sometimes someone will hit me up and I’ll respond, but I don’t respond to everybody. When I look at their Instagram, and I see somebody, I don’t want to say “wholesome,” but I see they kind of have their life together. I love modeling, I love acting, so if it’s somebody in that kind of area, then I’ll take a particular interest. I don’t know if it’s any one thing. We all have our preferences for physical attributes: good looking, in shape younger men, will probably catch my eye. But Sheldon is 55—he’s almost 10 years younger than I am. So I consider him a younger man!
Discover more
We go beyond the field with Queerty’s Q&A series and get to know more about our favorite LGBTQ+ athletes and sports figures, from the music they’re streaming to what catches their eyes on the apps!
dbmcvey
Gorgeous man!
toddlicious
You too could look like this with steroids, hgh, and testosterone
Dick Mayhem
Completely agree.
What is his fitness advice? Better living through chemistry.
But that has become fairly standard these days in the gay community.
SarcasaticMisanthrope
Agreed, and he isn’t aging “gracefully”. He’s fighting it tooth and nail.
dbmcvey
You too can be a bitter queen.
Peter
He’s hot for a man his age. I admire his work ethic; the results are obvious. The least Queerty could’ve done is spell his last name correctly.
Magnus1999
The reality is, he is hot compared to most men who are a third his age.
dbmcvey
Please. He looks better than most 30 year olds.
bachy
Didn’t we all comment on this exact article like a few days ago?
TFDM
Yeah.
Use health compromising performance enhancing drugs and you too can look like this
Seen IT ALL
EVERY GAY MAN OVER 50 with “this look” is doing a massive amount of steroids (they call it “Gear”) and pass it off as “Good Genetics”. As for the “under 50” year olds, this body type has become “standard issue”, so much so that it’s become run-of-the-mill. As an endocrinologist, I’ve “Seen IT ALL”. IF HIV/AIDS is the #1 cause of death for gay men, then the #2 cause of death is: “TERMINAL VANITY”
dbmcvey
Wow. Look who has a medical degree.
Rambeaux
Gee, Doc. No one can win with you.
Any gay man over 40 should just eat a bullet? It’s either terminal AIDS or die from “vanity”.
This man looks fantastic. His regimen is brutal and he remains true to it. It is possible to achieve his look without steroids .
Maybe you are being pissy because you will not be seeing him as a patient. He is too healthy.
WayDifferent
I agree with the doctor. “Over baked” is what I call the subjects type. He’s REALLY making up for lost time coming out so late in life. The gay guy in his age range that catches my attention is the type who is growing old gracefully (this does not mean you let yourself “go” either, they’re another category).
Friend of my best friend recently died in the drive through of a fast food restaurant. Heart attack. Definitely still pumping those ‘roids at 51. How do I know? I did them at 23 and definitely wouldn’t do them at 55.
pspblueyes
If his advice is “hit the gym every day” fine, but he’s kind a promoting an unrealistic ethic to many of us – yes US – OVER 60. Some may not have the strength, or the MONEY or the time to devote to our looks and body like he does. So, if you want to characterize me as bitter, have at it. It took a long time for me, personally, to come to terms with the fact that I am not able to be one of the “clones’. It took time for me to realize that staying healthy means staying active, watching what I eat, being mindful of the level of stress I deal with, and being able to disconnect is paramount to staying healthy. It’s taken YEARS of personal growth and therapy to be able to not base my worth/value on what the “clones” are doing. Good for them. I’m older, I’m healthy,I’m happy. I’ll take it…
Chrisk
Not sure where all the hate is coming from since all he’s doing is living his best life possible. If you look at his younger pic he hasn’t really changed all that much. He’s always been fit.
Everyone should devote their time into taking care of their bodies. Bitching about those that do definitely make you look bitter.