Jodie Marsh has certainly caused a stir with her dramatic transformation from glamour girl to body builder in the last few weeks. The former model debuted her extraordinary new look at the Natural Physique Association (NPA) Mike Williams Classic and Pro-Am Bodybuilding Championships back in September this year and walked away with a trophy for her efforts, which had clearly been immense.

Following the competition she said: “In 50 days I have gone from 25 per cent body fat to 10 per cent, gained 8lb of muscle and lost 20lb of fat. I’m really happy I’m going home with a trophy. If I can do this in a few weeks then what else can I achieve with more training time?”

A few of those at modelling agency Models Direct’s offices dread to think!

This look reflects an enormous amount of self discipline and determination, qualities which we would applaud, but is it attractive? Far more importantly, is the approach that Marsh has taken one which is safe? Apparently not according interviews with the model-turned-body builder:

“My face became gaunt and my parents said, ‘You’ve got to stop this, you look ill’. I’d never recommend what I did to anyone else.”

Good. While actually prioritising health and keeping fit is a fantastic message to promote, this is not what’s going on here. By all means go to the gym, fantastic! But please exercise responsibly, and know when to stop! This approach to fitness is not only worryingly unhealthy, but beyond a certain point it is also very much a matter of opinion on whether or not it looks good, on either male or female models.

We are also disturbed to read reports in The Sun that quote Marsh as describing her pre-body building shape as “flabby”. She tells reporters: “When I look back at some of the photos of me in my ‘heyday’ they make me feel physically sick. I look flabby, fat and full of cellulite”.

Some would say that comments like these are bordering on delusional and a cause for concern. A size 8-10 body is certainly not fat by any stretch of the imagination.

Marsh is a personality who obviously enjoys being in the limelight but we hope that she will not make herself, or others, unwell in the process. To glamourise her recent approach to fitness and make comments about a healthy body looking “flabby, fat and full of cellulite” could be seen as irresponsible to say the least.

Recently we reported on ten year old ‘workout kid’ CJ Senter – the star of an exercise DVD aimed at children. The young fitness fanatic has incredible muscle tone and definition for one so young, and his apparent obsession with keeping toned has raised questions about whether or not the video that he appears in is appropriate viewing for other children.

Celebrities who endorse body building could encourage a responsible approach to fitness for children like him. While weight-training can be a fantastic way to stay in shape and improve health and body building has it’s merits, the latter can also become an addictive pursuit that may cloud the judgement of those who take part in it. We hope that marsh will consider this moving forward.

What do you think of female body builders and Jodie Marsh’s new look?