Elizabeth Smart is stronger than ever.
The 38-year-old posted a video from a recent bodybuilding competition on Instagram, saying that she had “such a blast.” Wearing a bikini and high heels, the mom of three smiles and poses for the crowd before walking offstage.
“I’ve always said ‘just stepping on stage is a win for me!’ And I completely stand by that,” she wrote, in part.
Despite — or perhaps because of — Smart’s childhood trauma, she isn’t shy about the new attention.
When she was just 14, Smart was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City. After nine months of being raped and assaulted, she was rescued by police. Now she works as an advocate for missing persons and sex abuse victims.
In a May 2026 interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Smart explained that her upbringing in the modest Mormon church also made her think twice before posting bodybuilding photos.
“Modesty is heavily stressed, and that was my upbringing. So then I was also like, ‘What will people think of me?’” she recalled. “Then I was just, like, ‘You know what? I have one shot at life, and I don’t want to get to the end of my life and look back and think I should have done that.’”
She also noted that the combination of her past experiences and current work with victims helped her overcome her fear of sharing her bodybuilding journey publicly.
“That is why a lot of victims don’t talk about what’s happened, because they’re afraid that they won’t be believed. They’re afraid that they’ll be judged, maybe for how they were dressed … When that connection was made in my mind, I was like, I have to do it,” she explained.
The journey has been fulfilling and a tremendous achievement for Smart personally.
“I competed in two classes: ‘Masters 35+,’ which requires you to be 35 or older, and ‘Open Class D,’ which is height-based,” she wrote on her latest Instagram about her most recent body building competition. “I placed at the bottom of both classes. Regardless of where I placed, I loved the whole experience.”
After thanking her “support squad” in the audience, Smart added, “I brought a better physique and stage presence than at my previous shows, and I’m so proud of myself for the hard work, discipline, and bravery it takes me to compete. So here’s to pursuing goals and not giving up!”
