Jodie Marsh on how bodybuilding saved her from committing suicide


You guys might not be familiar with Jodie Marsh. She’s like the much more budget version of the already very budget Jordan aka Katie Price. (And Jodie and Katie are said to hate each other.) Jodie is a British celebrity known for having her tits and ass hanging out, basically. We’ve only ever covered her a few times many years ago, and she comes across like a super messed up person. Just check out these outfits she’s worn in public when she knows she’s going to be photographed. Jody went through a rough patch a few years ago when people stopped wanting to take her picture and would only mock her. I don’t mean to sound so harsh about it, but that’s basically what it is.

Jodie, 33, has found new direction and literal strength through a strict bodybuilding regime and a diet that just sounds awful to me. Jodie just won her division of in a women’s bodybuilding contest in the US, The International Natural Bodybuilding Federation championships in Washington DC. She gave an extended interview to The Sun detailing how she was so depressed she considered crashing her car and ending her life. Bodybuilding lifted her out of despair and helped her become a champion. In this contest, she kind of looks like tanning mom on steroids in a Ronald McDonald wig, but good for her. I can’t imagine having the discipline and commitment it must have required to achieve this kind of body. Here’s more, thanks to The Sun:

Former party girl Jodie Marsh today reveals how bodybuilding saved her from suicide.

The ex Page Three girl, 33, admits she contemplated smashing her truck at high speed following public humiliation on Celebrity Big Brother and a string of failed relationships with high-profile men.

But being taken seriously by the bodybuilding world has helped her turn her life around — and she has even just won a championship in America.

Jodie, who is a tiny dress size four and weighs just 8st 2lb, says: “I can honestly say these are the best years of my life.

“I can’t even describe how good it is just to finally feel like I am doing something positive.

“I’ve always wanted to do something good but people would never take me seriously. Now they are.

“I feel so fit and healthy and ripped and strong. It’s so good to put the bad times behind me.”

From the moment Jodie shot to fame a decade ago, she was a controversial figure.

Often dressed in just underwear or even belts to go clubbing, and with a series of famous boyfriends, she was dubbed a man-eater and got involved in a war of words with rival glamour girl turned Sun columnist Katie Price.

After being voted out first in 2006’s Celebrity Big Brother — having clashed with housemates Pete Burns and Michael Barrymore — Jodie plunged into depression.

Her TV humiliation was the final straw for desperate Jodie.

She says: “About six months after Celebrity Big Brother I decided I was going to kill myself.

“The quickest way to do it was to drive my truck into a post, so I started working out which one to use and how fast I’d need to be going.

“I was sick of everyone being so horrible to me.

“I’d walk down the road and people would say, ‘You’ve got a dodgy nose, you’ve got saggy t**s’ and they’d think that was fine.

“If I didn’t respond, they’d throw something at me — usually a bottle or drinks can. I just got worn down by it.”

One summer’s evening in 2006, Jodie was driving from her home in Brentwood, Essex, to see her brother Jordan’s band play in a pub when she came terrifyingly close to ending it all.

She says: “All I could think about was that I needed to drive myself into one of these poles. But I didn’t do it. I got to the pub sobbing. I was having a meltdown.”

“But to be honest, I am on such a strict diet for the bodybuilding that if you offered me a choice between pizza and sex with Brad Pitt right now, I’d choose pizza.”

Having shied away from public life in recent years, Jodie returned with her ripped new look after discovering bodybuilding. She came fifth in her first UK competition last year and last month had a go on the global stage.

Jodie saw off experienced competition to WIN her category in the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation championships in Washington DC.

A programme charting her progress — Jodie Marsh: Brawn In The USA — can be seen on DMax on Wednesday, June 20, at 9pm.

To achieve her extreme look, vegetarian Jodie spent 14 weeks eating little more than egg whites, protein shakes, brown rice and green veg — and spent four hours in the gym every day.

At the competition, she spent 24 hours dehydrating herself so her skin would shrink and make her muscles appear more defined.

She then spent hours under searing lights daubed in special dark fake tan pulling poses to show off every muscle in her body.

Jodie fled to a friend’s hotel in Italy for two weeks “rocking and crying” before returning home.

She did not seek professional help because, having been referred to counsellors when she was bullied as a schoolgirl, she had lost faith in psychologists and care workers.

As well as the bullying, Jodie was dispirited following her string of failed relationships…

“But to be honest, I am on such a strict diet for the bodybuilding that if you offered me a choice between pizza and sex with Brad Pitt right now, I’d choose pizza.”

Having shied away from public life in recent years, Jodie returned with her ripped new look after discovering bodybuilding. She came fifth in her first UK competition last year and last month had a go on the global stage.

Jodie saw off experienced competition to WIN her category in the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation championships in Washington DC.

A programme charting her progress — Jodie Marsh: Brawn In The USA — can be seen on DMax on Wednesday, June 20, at 9pm.

To achieve her extreme look, vegetarian Jodie spent 14 weeks eating little more than egg whites, protein shakes, brown rice and green veg — and spent four hours in the gym every day.

[From The Sun]

You can see her diet on The Sun’s website and it’s outrageous. All she eats are eggs, rice, vegetables and protein shakes. She doesn’t even get chicken, but she’s a vegetarian so that make sense. I’m not a fan of that look, but good for her. She’s obviously found her purpose. Hopefully that brown stuff washes off.

Photo credit: PR Newswire Europe and WENN.com. Jodie is shown working out on Venice Beach on 5-10-12

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41 Responses to “Jodie Marsh on how bodybuilding saved her from committing suicide”

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  1. Melissa says:

    Gross.

    • laylajanelovesgossip says:

      Yikes, please tell me that’s motor oil on her and not a TAN!!!!

      • Amelia says:

        We have an epidemic of so called ‘tanorexics’ in the UK. Kind of like tanning Mom.
        It’s layer upon layer upon layer upon layer upon layer of St Tropez. Youtube Snog, Marry, Avoid and you’ll see an OTT version.
        It’s good to here she’s feeling more stable. I’d personally chow down on Ben and Jerrys, but whatever works for you!
        CB are you in the UK? I’m surprised you know about the tabloid troll Katie Price!

      • bondbabe says:

        I saw a program once where they showed bodybuilders helping each other “tan”—it was basically a walnut-colored stain applied with a small roller. F’n nasty!

      • Darlene says:

        I read another interview with her where she said she had to be darker than most competitors because judges mark off for tattoos, of which she has many.

    • Jenna says:

      The tan is a spray tan. They get is so dark for competitions to show more muscular definition. Body building is generally a very healthy lifestyle choice, and you can win large amounts of money from competing. I’m not a body builder, but if it saved her from suicide then more power to being ripped! hahaha

      • Choupette says:

        Nice to know it’s a spray tan because I was thinking bodybuilding might have saved her, but that tan is slow suicide.

      • Jezi says:

        It’s actually not a spray on tan, it’s a lotion that they brush on. It’s not even tan, it’s more of a burnt orange color. The coloring makes the muscle definition stand out. They also use oil for that as well. Unfortunately, bodybuilding isn’t a very well paid sport. The ones who make a ton of money from it are the ones who become professional bodybuilders (ex., Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Victor Martinez). They compete for their pro-cards. Money is made from them promoting products and doing magazine ads. Most who are at a higher level though do get sponsors who help because let me tell you, the money it takes to compete is sometimes more money then they make from competing. If they do make money from it. My husband has competed and it was very expensive, from the constant eating, to the protein and vitamins he needed. He didn’t make a dime from competing. I’m not a fan of the sport but it does take extreme discipline. They have to not only be extremely lean and cut, they have to be symetric.

    • Dumbisthenewblack says:

      Friendly Heads Up!- the links to her “outfits” are NSFW in a major way!!! (wish I had known :()

  2. David says:

    she is ripppped. Not pretty.

  3. Jil says:

    What is wrong with her nose? I have never seen something like that.

  4. Sisi says:

    The brown stuff washes off. Flexed muscles look more pronounced on tan skin so bodybuilders prefer to look like a baked turkey during contests to show off the results of their hard work. They spray themselves not long before a contest.

  5. littlestar says:

    “I’d walk down the road and people would say, ‘You’ve got a dodgy nose, you’ve got saggy t**s’ and they’d think that was fine.

    “If I didn’t respond, they’d throw something at me — usually a bottle or drinks can. I just got worn down by it.”

    WOW! People can be truly awful, can’t they? While this is not a look I personally would ever want for myself, good for her for finding pupose and goals in her life! I definitely admire the dedication and sheer will power it takes to be a body builder. And good for her for realizing she needed to slip out of the spotlight for a while and work on herself (Lindsay Lohan, take note please).

    • laylajanelovesgossip says:

      I wish someone would throw a bottle at me…what kinda people talk and act like this???seriously???

  6. Mimi says:

    I just can’t with her.

  7. johnnybadboytapia says:

    ok… say something nice johnny…ummmm I’m happy she was able to find a reason to go on living.

  8. RN says:

    Good for her. I see nothing wrong with the path she’s chosen. It seems infinitely preferable to the path she was on and the one she was contemplating. Better natural bodybuilding than the devastation to her family and friends of suicide.

    • curegirl0421 says:

      I totally agree; her look may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it takes an incredible amount of discipline. I had never heard of her before now, and it sounds like she had a tough road. Whether or not she paved that road herself doesn’t matter; nobody deserves to have bottles thrown at them.

  9. lucy2 says:

    I don’t personally understand it or find it appealing, but if it’s working for her, that’s great. Though I don’t know if switching to a different obsessive behavior is the best way to deal with problems, good luck to her.

  10. Lisa says:

    DAMN! Not a fan of the tan, or the balloons on her chest, but her body is GREAT.

    • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

      I agree. She still looks feminine in the bottom photos. The poses and spray tan do nothing for her but when she’s standing naturally, she looks great.

  11. Madpoe says:

    I so don’t know why, but all of them up there look like roaches on their backs. eww!

  12. Kittypants says:

    Everything about her screams insecurity and body dysmorphia.

    • Carol says:

      For years I have thought the same thing. The poor bird bounced from man to man, job to job (remember when she was becoming a tattoo artist that one week?) but I have always felt she was a good person at heart; just so lost. Her childhood sounded dreadful and her adult life had not been much better. And her dysmorphia issues lifelong. I’m actually pulling for her. She has stuck by it far longer than any if us thought she would. Though between the muscled women and walnut laquer skin, I’d say the roll-on stain is the worst. Every year it gets darker too!

      • Freckles says:

        I totally agree. I watched the programme that followed her attempting to (successfully) become a body builder. She’s often compared to Katie Price but I think Jodie comes across as a far nicer and much more genuine person. And the dedication she has shown to achieve this is incredible!

  13. StopItLuke says:

    Good on her, She’s a bit messed up but she’s a nice person and actually really intelligent.

  14. Me says:

    You cant wh-re yourself out like that and then cry when you get a very negative response. Seems like bodybuilding has just distracted her from dealing with her real issues.

    • nikki says:

      Yes! It’s terrible that people would do those things or say those things but you can’t go around with your tits hanging out and expect for everyone to applaud you and be jealous of you. If you really want the attention you gotta take the bad with it

  15. Tabby says:

    I think she’s fantastic. The dedication and strength it takes to get where she is from where she was is amazing. Sure, it’s an extreme look and you don’t have to like it, but you could at least acknowledge how much determination she has.
    I’m so, so fed up with how it’s perfectly okay and “normal” to criticise people for their looks as if being different or unconventional makes you fair game to whatever hate people want to throw at you.

    • DeltaJuliet says:

      Phew! Ok. I am “dealing” with this situation right now with one of my good friends. She is more that a little obsessed with bodybuilding. To the point where people can hardly stand to be around her anymore because it’s all she talks about or does.

      My usual response to it is, “I admire the hard-work, determination and dedication. I do not find it attractive physically, but I respect it”

  16. DreamyK says:

    Cheeses. Put a WARNING sign up there..some of us are just waking up. Egads that’s foul.

  17. some bitch says:

    Good for her. It’s not my thing, but if it makes her happy and gives her a purpose then I’m happy for her. The diet’s crazy but at least it totally revolves around healthy food, right?

    One of my very best friends from high school committed suicide a few years ago and it’s just devastating for the family and friends they leave behind. There’s no real closure. I hope she continues to find happiness.

  18. Embee says:

    She has certainly upgraded her addictions but I’m not so sure she is in control of herself. But, not everyone can get there, and if she’s going to have to be extreme then I’m glad she’s chosen a healthy version of extreme.

  19. Lady Satan says:

    The article failed to mention that the diet is a pre-competition diet, not her everyday eating. Bodybuilders have to lean down to the extreme so that every bit of muscle shows for competition, so her diet (other than being vegetarian) is not that unusual. After competitions, bodybuilders go back to a more relaxed (but still ultra-healthy) diet with more calories and more variety. Competitive body-builders have their “normal” weight and measurements and their competition weight and measurements, and there can be a significant difference between the two.

  20. jack says:

    I like Jodie. She’s had it really tough. She wears her heart on her sleeve & the bullying she went through in the big brother house was horrendous. She was told her natural boobs were like “droopy spaniel ears” by the horrid fake katie price in a stupid quiz (katie wasn’t in the house) which sparked off the public critisizing her too and so she got a boob job..just like she got a nose job after being bullied in school about her nose, her old nose was better and so were her boobs. That was the worst botched nose job ever! I’m not suprised she was so low after Big Brother, those two nasty men were unbelievable to her. They both have a lot of issues and took it out on her because she has that victim quietness. She complained one was wearing real monkey fur coat & they almost lynched her for it. She should know she was voted out to rescue her. Her best friend was murdered and it seems to have damaged her, I do feel for her, she’s too soft. Cares for animals which is why she’s veggie. She gets a hellovalot of stick. That dark stuff isn’t tanning spray, it’s a pot of it that is used especially to show off the muscles under lights and goes on just before a show and washes right off. I don’t like this look on her but she seems to worry all the time and so glad she’s got something to focus on.

  21. Jem says:

    I’ve always liked jodie. She seems like a nice girl who got a bit lost.

  22. Wibble says:

    Jeez Jody,

    The days you went with out makeup for charity, it turns out you were actually a very very beautiful lady. So clean and honestly stunning.

    Even as a tatoo’ed and tanned waste you looked reasonable.

    As a body builder, sheesh. no.

  23. TrollyDolly says:

    Good person, has showed her vulnerability and strength.

  24. Stubbylove says:

    I have zero issues with fitness, eating well and working hard to keep yourself in great shape. But those that take it to the extreme like this just seem like narcisstic assholes. I suppose being obsessed with fitness is better than drinking, drugs, etc. but fucking A – if you have that much time on your hands, go help others/volunteer your time contributing something to society other than being a self-absorbed asswhipe.

  25. sup says:

    can we say bipolar? see a counselor now, girl