A piece about our new Talent Management model Ruth was featured in The Daily Mail this week but it didn’t really give the whole story. We spoke directly to Ruth to find out a bit more about her and what she went through to achieve her fitness modelling dreams after her cancer scare earlier this year.

“My background is track and field athletics; it’s something I’ve been passionate about since watching the Olympics as a kid. Upon reflection I think it appealed to me over other sports because it was one of the few sports where the women competed in championships and leagues alongside men and I think on some level that gave it a higher status to me back then. I’ve lived and breathed my sport, seeing me ranked in the top 10 for my age group in sprint hurdles and 4 times County Champion. Throughout my time at Uni and work, my sport has always come first. I choose my work based on the flexibility they provide to eat and train, which has meant ensuring I pass a number of post graduate qualifications in order to get jobs where the hours and style of working fit with my sport and healthy lifestyle,” she explains.

“This year I was struck with a run of bad health; three months, 4 stomach bugs, 3 hospital procedures, 4 weeks signed off work (I’m a full time Pharmacist) and 2 lots of antibiotics.”

The 33-year-old from Rotherham was told she ran a high risk of developing cervical cancer after a Doctor’s appointment and had to have colposcopy, a treatment which involves having abnormal cells burned away.

“I was determined the time I’d spent ill was not going to stop me from achieving the goals I’d set myself for this year; in fact it was going to provide the fuel I need to make it happen.

“Watching many YouTube videos of the IFBB Bikini Olympia I decided it was time to enter a UKBFF competition. Whatever the outcome of the competition, just being on stage this was going to mark my recovery.

“On July 27th I competed in a modelling competition in Norwich that I had I entered back in January; This was to be my stepping stone to the UKBFF competition. I competed, I enjoyed every minute and I won Miss February. I was so proud and excited; this competition got me back on stage and feeling great, despite my lay off from sport.

“Then in early August I started back training again and after only 5 weeks back training, on 22nd September I became the UKBFF Midlands Bikini Tall champion and qualified for the British Championships with the first ever stage performance of my T walk! So far this year has been a year of 2 halves. Like the Katy Perry song lyrics; sometimes when all the doors are closed its so that it will lead to the perfect road; had I not have been so ill I probably wouldn’t have taken the route I did with the determination and single mindedness that I have today.”

Ruth will now travel to Los Angeles to compete against female fitness models from all over the world, but she won’t be giving up her day job!

“Even if I won the lottery, there’s no way I would give up this job,’ she explains. ‘I trained for six years and it’s something I will always have an interest in.

“I have an exciting job, making sure that the right people get the right drugs and GPs are great people to work with.”

We wish Ruth the best of luck with her fitness modelling career! If you would like to be considered for work with Talent Management you can apply via our website.

Alternatively if you are a client with a shoot coming up and you would like to book Ruth please call our booking team on 0844 334 0000, or fill in a model request form.