Joanna Thomas

Bodybuilding career

Amateur As a child Joanna had chronic asthma and was unable to do any sort of strenuous physical activities at a young age, but had always wanted a bigger build for her body. When she was 14 years old, she saw for the first time pictures of female bodybuilders in a magazine that belonged to a college student who was staying with her family. She in love with the way they looked and decided to become a professional bodybuilder, along with and wanting something to keep fit herself hit due to her asthma. Her sister, Nicola, who had been a sprinter, started bodybuilding.

Legacy At the 1998 EFBB British Championships, Joanna won the lightweight category and overall title and became the youngest British female bodybuilder to ever to win both the EFBB British Championships and her IFBB pro card at the age of 21 years old. She is sometimes incorrectly cited by sources as being the youngest female bodybuilder to ever win an IFBB pro card. The youngest female bodybuilder to ever win an IFBB pro card was Canadian Deanna Panting, who won 1st in the heavyweight category at the 1984 IFBB North American Championships at the age of 19 years old.

Best statistics Biceps - Bodyfat - 2.6–6% Calves - Height - Quads -

Personal life After retiring from bodybuilding in 2007, Joanna married American Andrew Schwartz and they both moved to the United Kingdom in 2014, but he could not get a work permit and returned to the United States. Afterwards, they divorced and he later died. She was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder. She was a Christian and had a Bible in which she wrote in and highlighted passages.

Television

Supersize She

In 2005, Thomas was featured in a one-hour documentary on the British channel five called Supersize She, which also broadcast in the US on The Learning Channel. The show followed her training leading up to the 2004 Ms. Olympia contest. The documentary talks about her life, her parents' feelings about her decision to become a bodybuilder and nude model, her stringent dieting requirements and her passion for bodybuilding as well as all the sacrifices and physical changes she had to go through to become a professional bodybuilder. This gave her a solid amount of exposure in her country and in the United States. In a short article in Robert Kennedy's MuscleMag International Thomas talked of finding a small level of fame after appearing in the documentary. She mentioned being recognized on the streets and being asked for autographs by people who saw the documentary.

Film appearance In 2006, Thomas starred in the short comedy film, All's Swell That Ends Swell!, where she played the Beautician.