A FEMALE bodybuilding champion who had to learn to walk again after twice overcoming cancer has died, aged 61.
Joanne Morrison sadly passed away on March 13 in Suffolk after she was diagnosed with two brain tumours last year.
The bodybuilder had already battled cancer twice before and went on to become a champion.
At just 26-years-old, doctors told her she had advanced aggressive cervical cancer before being diagnosed with a brain tumour, aged 43.
But against all odds, including epilepsy and learning to walk again, Joanne entered the world of bodybuilding and won several competitions.
Her close friend, Janet O’Byrne told The Argus: “She had never done anything like that before, but when she decided to do something she was the most determined woman.”
Joanne, formerly a physical instructor in the Women’s Royal Army Corps, was also a health coach and went on to pen a book about her journey, Finding the Other Me.
She also enrolled at King’s College London to study a master’s degree in psychology and the neuroscience of mental health.
She travelled the world to destinations including Thailand, Australia and Spain while working overseas.
Joanne had put a deposit down on a Sicilian property last summer with dreams of owning her own home.
Most read in The Irish Sun
But last August, prior to completing the purchase, it was discovered she had two brain tumours, one of which was inoperable.
Her last months were spent at a nursing home in Suffolk with her family by her side.
Janet said it was an “awful blow” as her “life was about to start the next week”.
“She was an absolute marvel; her fight for life was unbelievable,” she said.
“She was vivacious, always smiling and a lovely person. Everyone loved her.”
