{"id":20576,"date":"2026-05-20T12:58:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T12:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20576"},"modified":"2026-05-20T12:58:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T12:58:40","slug":"elizabeth-smart-on-life-after-kidnapping-and-bodybuilding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20576","title":{"rendered":"Elizabeth Smart on Life After Kidnapping and Bodybuilding"},"content":{"rendered":"


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For more than two decades, the world has known Elizabeth Smart<\/strong> through the unimaginable. At 14, she was kidnapped<\/a> at knifepoint from her Salt Lake City bedroom by drifter Brian David Mitchell<\/strong>, who threatened to kill her family if she made a sound. Mitchell \u2014 a religious fanatic who claimed Smart was his \u201cwife\u201d \u2014 held her captive in makeshift campsites in the Utah mountains and San Diego for nine months, where she was raped and endured repeated abuse from him and his accomplice, Wanda Barzee<\/strong>. The case transfixed the nation, becoming one of the most high-profile child abduction stories in modern history.<\/p>\n

Since her rescue in 2003, she\u2019s spent much of her life transforming pain into purpose. Smart, who shares children Chloe, 11, James, 9, and Olivia, 7, with husband Matthew Gilmour<\/strong>, has become one of the world\u2019s most visible advocates for victims of sexual violence while building a life far beyond the headlines: wife, mother, bestselling author, speaker and survivor.<\/p>\n

But in April, Smart stunned even longtime followers when she posted photos from a bodybuilding competition<\/a>. Wearing a blue bikini, sky-high heels and a deep tan, she confidently posed onstage \u2014 fearless, sculpted and unapologetically visible. The images quickly went viral, drawing thousands of comments and more attention, she says with a laugh, than her recent Netflix documentary<\/a>, media appearances and December memoir, Detours<\/em>, combined. \u201cI could not believe the response,\u201d Smart, 38, tells Us Weekly<\/em>. \u201cI thought there would be a reaction, but I wasn\u2019t expecting this at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

The response wasn\u2019t just about the physical transformation, but also about what the moment represented. \u201cI always felt like there was a way I needed to present myself,\u201d she says. \u201cBodybuilding has helped free me.\u201d For Smart, it\u2019s become about more than just fitness \u2014 a way to honor her body and challenge the narrow labels that have followed her for years. \u201cI am not just a victim or a kidnapping survivor,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not just one thing. I am many things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting down with Us<\/em>, Smart opens up about her journey into bodybuilding, defying expectations and why she feels stronger<\/a>, more confident and more fully herself than ever before. \u201cI don\u2019t want to live a life where I was too afraid to actually live,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to make the most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Elizabeth<\/div>
MAIN IMAGE: MEGAN TURLEY. INSETS, CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM: MITCHELL GILBERT; GETTY<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On April 21, you shared the photos from your bodybuilding competition<\/a>. Were you surprised by the reaction?<\/strong>
I couldn\u2019t believe it. Honestly, I can\u2019t believe we\u2019re even having this chat. One of the program directors at my foundation, Miyo<\/strong>, who had come there to support me, posted that picture to her [Instagram] story, and I reposted it. Then over the weekend, I was like, Do I actually say something about it? I sat there kind of debating it, and then I was like, I\u2019ve had enough DMs [asking], \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d \u201cWhy are you doing this? \u201cIs this AI?\u201d Then I decided, I\u2019m gonna do it.<\/p>\n

This was actually your fourth time competing, and you\u2019d been keeping this side of your life private. Were you nervous about what the public\u2019s response might be?<\/strong>
I would say 90 percent of it was fear [of how people would respond]. Even if I\u2019m at a pool in my bikini, I\u2019ve had people make comments. So when Miyo was like, \u201cDo you mind if I post it and tag you?\u201d At first, I was like, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m ready for this yet. But she\u2019s actually one of the strongest women I know. She\u2019s embraced being a sexual being, and yet she is one of the biggest advocates for women I know. And I just [thought], I can be both. I can be sexy, and I can be an advocate. I am more than just one thing. I understand why I was scared to share, but those are the same exact reasons why victims don\u2019t share. And so I [decided] I should do this because it\u2019s empowering for me, but also maybe it\u2019s empowering for other victims to be like, If Elizabeth Smart can step up on stage in a bikini, I can go report to the police.<\/p>\n

You started bodybuilding last January. How did you get into it<\/a>?<\/strong>
I had been running for a long time, and I loved it. But one of my knees was starting to hurt, and on the weekends, when I did my [marathon] training runs, it got to a point where they were just so long that once I finished them, I didn\u2019t want to do anything the rest of the day. I just wanted to lie on the sofa and eat chips. And I\u2019ve got three little kids who don\u2019t want to just lie on the sofa and eat chips. And also, honestly, I found out that you cannot outrun treat overload. There was a vanity aspect to it.<\/p>\n

Why bodybuilding?<\/strong>
I had a friend I\u2019d trained with years before. She reached out and [asked] \u201cHey, do you want to train together again?\u201d I was like, You know what? This seems serendipitous. I need a new challenge. She\u2019d done bodybuilding in the past and made it to the pro level. So [I asked her], \u201cDo you think I could do this? I\u2019d kind of like to try.\u201d She\u2019s like, \u201cYeah, I think you can. It\u2019s a lot of work.\u201d But I didn\u2019t know just how much work it was gonna be.<\/p>\n

Was there something about the discipline that appealed to you?<\/strong>
I\u2019ve always liked having a goal. From when I studied music in school to marathon running and wanting to improve my time and then bodybuilding, having a very clear, defined goal with a due date, I think it really appealed to me that way.<\/p>\n

What has surprised you most about bodybuilding so far?<\/strong>
There\u2019s the funny little surprises, like, oh my goodness, so many layers of tan! And then how incredible the human body actually is. I had three kids, I\u2019ve done so much running, can my body still change? And to see it happen, wow, it really can.<\/p>\n

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\"Bodybuilding<\/div>
Courtesy of Elizabeth Smart<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Were you nervous to start?<\/strong>
Stepping into something that I felt so out of place in and didn\u2019t know anything about, I honestly still do kind of feel like I\u2019m on my back foot. There are some incredibly talented women [competing], and they have so much confidence when they walk, and, in my mind, I\u2019m like, \u201cJust smile. Make it across the stage. Don\u2019t trip!\u201d<\/p>\n

You placed first in your division at your most recent competition. What does competing represent to you on a personal level?<\/strong>
I always want to look like I at least deserve to stand on stage. But at the same time, I already feel like I won by stepping up [there], because that is such an intimidating thing for me to do. And from my first show to my most recent, I look at the progression, and it would not have mattered if I\u2019d [come in] last because I\u2019ve seen so much improvement in myself.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the hardest part of training?<\/strong>
It\u2019s always the eating. I like working out. If I don\u2019t, I feel like something\u2019s missing, even if it\u2019s a rest day. [But] I really enjoy food. If a show is further out, my coach will be like, \u201cIt\u2019s OK, you can have a fun meal or a treat with your kids once a week.\u201d The more consistent and the stricter you are, the bigger results you\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

How has your relationship with your body evolved through this?<\/strong>
I was raised very conservatively, and even in school, [we were taught] the more conservative you dress, the more likely you are to get a job. Covering up your body is how you\u2019re going to be taken seriously. We see this a lot, particularly in the field of victims. It\u2019s very easy to sit back and judge victims and be like, \u201cWell, did you see how she was dressed?\u201d I don\u2019t even want to say it, but clearly she\u2019s just, you know\u2026<\/p>\n

Asking for it.<\/strong>
Asking for it. I have said for years, it shouldn\u2019t matter how you\u2019re dressed or what you\u2019re doing, you could be walking down the street naked, and you still wouldn\u2019t be asking for that. I believe that wholeheartedly. So I feel like this bodybuilding journey has made those words more true to me. They already were, but it validated it even more because stepping on stage in a bikini is not me trying to sexualize my body [or] inviting unwanted attention, it\u2019s not an invitation sexually for anyone. This is me being, like, I have worked so hard on my body.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Elizabeth Smart Believes Nancy Guthrie ‘Absolutely’ Could ‘Still Be Alive’<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tElizabeth Smart still has hope that Savannah Guthrie\u2019s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, could be alive more than three months after going missing in Arizona. \u201cShe could absolutely still be alive,\u201d Smart, 38, told CNN on Tuesday, May 5. \u201cThere are cases that span many more years than mine does and they came back alive. And [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Did you ever have any hesitation about entering a space where your body is judged?<\/strong>
Yes, absolutely. I mean, my whole life it was, it doesn\u2019t matter what\u2019s on the outside, it matters what\u2019s on the inside. Don\u2019t judge a book by its cover, and all of a sudden, your cover is what matters. But kind of going back to honoring my body \u2014 we didn\u2019t talk about my favorite book, did we?<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t.<\/strong>
My very favorite book is Jane Eyre<\/em>, and there\u2019s a part where Mr. Rochester is talking to Jane, and he\u2019s comparing her to a bird in a cage, and he is like, I could crush this cage, but I\u2019d never get at the bird inside. And I mentioned this quote in my first book, when I talked about what actually happened to me when I was kidnapped. My captors could hurt my body, but my body always protected my spirit. I felt that way through my whole life; my body has carried me through every worst day. It\u2019s given me my children. My body has been through a lot, but it has never let anyone crush my spirit. If it stopped protecting me, then I\u2019d be dead. But here I am alive. So now I feel bodybuilding, for me, is honoring my body. Like, taking the time and the care and the attention that it\u2019s deserved all along, because now it\u2019s stronger. I\u2019m healthier, I\u2019m fitter.<\/p>\n

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\"Feature<\/div>
Megan Turley<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And you\u2019re proud. Do you feel sexy?<\/strong>
Yes, I do. It\u2019s kind of intimidating for me to say that out loud because this comes back to [the idea of] it\u2019s better to be smart [or] better to be kind, it\u2019s better to be this, this and this, than beautiful or sexy. That\u2019s true, but it doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s not OK to be those things as well.<\/p>\n

What does owning your body mean to you today?<\/strong>
Embracing all aspects of it. Recognizing that I can still be an advocate for survivors, for women, for children and be a bodybuilder. One does not negate the other.<\/p>\n

What does strength mean to you now compared to earlier in your life?<\/strong>
I think true strength means doing what you want without the fear of judgment from others. Whether that\u2019s speaking up for something or entering a bodybuilding competition where it\u2019s scary and some people might look down on you for it, it\u2019s staying true to what your dreams are, what you see for your life and following through with it despite anything else.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve had such an overwhelmingly positive response.<\/strong>
That has meant a lot because I was so scared about posting. It\u2019s just so reassuring, so heartwarming to have so many people say such lovely things.<\/p>\n

Have you seen negative reactions?<\/strong>
I mean, yeah, and I try not to dwell on them. It\u2019s a pretty big reason why I don\u2019t go through every comment. I\u2019m human, and I remember the mean comments a lot easier than the nice [ones]. I sit there thinking, Why do people need to be mean in a world of chaos and sadness and pain?<\/p>\n

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\"MIssing<\/div>
SALT LAKE CITY POLICE<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How do you block out that noise?<\/strong>
[Bodybuilding] is what I want to do, and so I\u2019m going to do it. And if they disagree with me, they can unfollow me. They can think whatever they want about me, just keep it to yourself. None of us know how long we\u2019ll live, and I don\u2019t know what tomorrow brings, but I also know how quickly your life can change and how quickly everything can be taken away from you. So in my elderly years, I want to look back and be like, You know what? I did everything that I wanted to do.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to be seen in such a different context today?<\/strong>
It comes back to that idea of labels. I\u2019m more than any one label, but I think it\u2019s easy to feel labeled by just one thing. All of us are multidimensional, complex beings. You\u2019re more than just your job [or] sexual orientation, you\u2019re more than a survivor [or] victim. For me, it\u2019s been liberating to be like, I\u2019m more than just the Elizabeth Smart that everyone\u2019s perceived for the last 20-plus years.<\/p>\n

How has your faith evolved?<\/strong>
In the spiritual sense, I\u2019d say, before my kidnapping, it was very rigid: This is what was said, so this is what I\u2019m going to believe. And then [when] I had my captors constantly being, like, \u201cGod commanded us to do this,\u201d that was the beginning of me being like, No, he didn\u2019t. God wouldn\u2019t tell you to hurt someone else. That\u2019s not the God I know. That was me recognizing that just because somebody says something does not mean it\u2019s necessarily true. Now it\u2019s evolved to more like, \u201cThis makes sense to me. This resounds in my heart. I believe in this.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Florence<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Florence Pugh: ‘I’m Never Losing Weight’ to Look ‘Fantastic’ for a Movie<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tAs these Hollywood celebrities show in their words, actions and online posts, the body-positivity movement has officially entered the mainstream. Well-known activists have used social media as a tool to spread more messages of self-love to their fans. Mindy Kaling made a splash when she posted a series of photos of herself wearing different two-piece [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

So much has happened since your kidnapping<\/a>. Can you find any meaning in what you went through?<\/strong>
I feel like my most recent book, Detours, answers that question. Yes, my life changed completely. It was not the life I ever imagined for myself, but I look back now, and I\u2019m not sorry that it happened to me. I would never go out and be like, \u201cOh yeah, kidnap me.\u201d But I\u2019m grateful for the person that it helped me become, because I do have such a passion for speaking out for victims and for being involved in this work. It\u2019s really led me to that, because otherwise, would I be [here]? There\u2019s a good chance I might look at this cause and be like, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s important. Here\u2019s $100. I\u2019ve done my part.\u201d It would have been easy to have that kind of mindset, but it\u2019s really given me a passion and a purpose in life.<\/p>\n

Your life would be very different.<\/strong>
Yeah. Who\u2019s to say if I hadn\u2019t been kidnapped, I would have met my husband or had the children that I have, or I would have the life I have today? It was a major detour from what I imagined for my life, but it\u2019s also brought me down a wonderful road.<\/p>\n

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\"Family<\/div>
Courtesy of Elizabeth Smart\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s next for you?<\/strong>
I see myself continuing to compete in bodybuilding and I\u2019ve been working on a new podcast with iHeartRadio. It\u2019s going to be about survivor stories, not just kidnapping and sexual assault. That will be great, because survivor stories are amazing and inspirational, and they\u2019re important to hear, because everybody, to some degree, has experienced some form of trauma. And when you look at these other survivors, you\u2019re like, Wow, [if] they can go through that, I can go through this.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve said that the only good that came out of your situation<\/a> was the good that came from inside you. What have you learned about yourself?<\/strong>
That I am stronger than I ever thought I was, and that other people can\u2019t destroy me unless I let them. I\u2019m a kind person, and I have deep emotion for other people who I see struggling, particularly the way that I\u2019ve struggled, and I want to let them know that they\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n

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