Why I... bodybuild
"I hit the gym and, soon, I looked good – and wondered what could come next"
My ex-husband and I were on the beach a few years ago with some friends and it was really hot so I stripped down to my bikini and he turned to me and said: "You look like a podge". Then his brother-in-law joined in and said: "Yeah, you've put on some weight, especially around your waist." It stuck with me and I thought, clearly, I was unattractive. So I hit the gym. Soon, I looked good and I wondered what could come next. I fell into competitions. That's how I started.
People think I don't eat when I'm training because you tend to drop a lot of body fat. But it's a misconception and, in fact, I eat six meals a day – everything is weighed out. It's all about dropping the body fat to make the muscles more pronounced.
I do three or four competitions a year, the next being the UK finals. I've won a lot of UK shows and I've competed internationally. I've been 8th in the world and 5th in Europe and have competed in South Africa, Spain and Portugal – places I might never otherwise have been.
I feel nervous when I'm waiting to be called onto the stage but then a switch in me flicks. You just do it because you only have about five minutes on the stage. Unless you show the best of your physique in that five minutes, you won't be noticed. You have 20 girls in your class so you have to stand out. You've got to hit the nail on every single pose.
It's completely separate from my office life. Sure, people at work know I compete – but I never bring it up with clients because I don't think a picture of me prancing on stage in a bikini and me managing thousands and thousands of pounds of people's money goes well together.
The first thing people say when they hear I'm a bodybuilder is "oh, but you don't look like a man" or "are you on steroids?". It doesn't require drugs; it requires dedication and patience to get the results.
Overtraining is a massive mistake that people often make. People think you should go to the gym six or seven times a week, which is ridiculous. I do four and add some cardio when I'm close to a competition. You need to let your body rest or you'll get tired. You won't put on muscle if you do too much because you're burning that muscle, rather than fat.
One day, I will hang up my shoes and say enough is enough, I've had enough of the stage – but I'll never stop training. I do it because I love it. Nobody has it all – there is no single person I want to be like. I don't have heroes but, as I go through life, I realise that most people are good at something and I just want to remember that one thing about them.