A mother of two who took up bodybuilding when she turned 40 has won multiple competitions and two British titles.
Danielle Cooper, 44, first started competing in 2024, and has juggled the sport with family life and running her own online coaching business.
She told BBC Radio Lancashire: “It all started when I turned 40. My focus was my kids, my family, the family business, and I just wanted something for me that I could pour my energy into.”
“For my first ever show, I did the prep in secret, because I was so scared of failing or just not completing it,” she said.
Now, four years into the sport, she said it was “not for the faint-hearted, there is a lot of delayed gratification”.
Preparation for a competition can take two years, with phases such as building muscle, then transitioning into a caloric deficit, increasing gradually the closer bodybuilders get to a competition.
