It’s hard to believe, but just over a year ago, Jenny Clark looked nothing like this.

Struggling to lose the baby weight following the birth of her son in 2010, Jenny weighed 18 stone, was depressed and hated the way she looked.

Desperate to find a goal to work towards, she visited a bodybuilding show in to see if she thought she could take on the challenge.

“In June 2013 I got in contact with a local gym Primitive Gym, offering training workouts for competing and went from there,” she said.

“As I progressed. one of my husband’s friends, Gary Howell of Bio Hazard, took over my training as I wanted to compete in November 2013 at the More Muscle Expo competition in Bournemouth.”

But just a month before her first competition, the 34-year-old, from Winton, sustained a serious glute tear and trapped nerve in her back and leg.

Determined not to give up, she still took part.

“I didn’t place top three at the Bournemouth show but it didn’t deter me,” she said.

“I went on to compete in NAC at the end of November 2013, then in April I competed in Hercules Olympia and Miami Pro, again none of which I placed top three.”

But Jenny, who works as a tattoo artist at Living Art Collective in Charminster, found her luck changed when she took part in Pure Elite, also in April, and came first in the More Muscle category.

She was then first in the International Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (IBFA) competition at Aldershot, which qualified her for the IBFA British competition in May, where she also took first place and qualified for the IBFA Worlds in Rome later this month.

But her success comes at a cost: “I train six days a week CV on all six days and weights on four of the six days,” said Jenny.

“I train by myself, no buddy, so I constantly have to push myself through and not give up. I’m in the gym at 6.30am, back home at 7.30am to take my son to the childminder for 8am, then back to the gym, then straight to work.

“I prep all my food in the evening for the next day so I have what I need and am not tempted to snack on anything I shouldn’t. It’s a routine and once you get used to it, it becomes everyday life.”

It certainly sounds tough, but Jenny is thrilled with how her life has changed.

She added: “One of the best things is that I’ve inspired others into getting healthy.”