Singer celebrates weight loss at bodybuilding event

A singer who took up bodybuilding after struggling with her weight for many years said she has lost nearly 10 stone and "can now hold a note for much longer".

Jane Bennett, 56, from Frome, Somerset, said she had tried different ways to get fit while wanting to lose weight for most of her adult life.

She is competing in the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation UK First Timers (WNBF) event on Sunday, after finding a love for the gym inspired her to step outside her comfort zone.

"I started just wanting to feel better - I never imagined where it would lead," Bennett said.

"You don't have to have it all figured out - you just have to start."

Bennett, who works for a local counselling charity and performs regularly across the area, said before her fitness journey, she was always a "start Monday" type of person.

Reaching out to a personal trainer saw her introduced to the gym.

"It was my space where I could sort of reset my head and my thoughts whilst challenging my body to grow stronger," she said.

After seeing her body transform, Bennett said she soon "fell in love with the process" and felt a world away from the person who used to look for a "quick fix" and had tried several fad diets and slimming clubs in a bid to find the "magic answer".

The WNBF competition takes place in a 750-capacity theatre, and Bennett plans to wear a crystal-covered bikini on stage, which she said was "really putting myself out there".

"I just want to celebrate my achievement - that is my reason for getting up on that stage," she added.

Describing how her weight loss had changed her life, Bennett said she was still "slowly getting to grips" with a new identity and that her weight loss had even helped her singing career.

"I can now hold a note for much longer," she said.

Personal trainer Kieran Pierce, who has helped Bennett pursue her bodybuilding goals, said he was "biblically proud" of his client, describing her as "a unicorn... one of those rare people that want to take [fitness] that step further".

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