‘I can’t believe I’m a bikini bodybuilder at 53’

Before long, she started working with a personal trainer who encouraged her to give bikini bodybuilding a go.

“I love a challenge and a goal and I thought why not?” she said.

“I never thought I’d end up on a stage. I had no expectation that I would get this far.”

Ms Woodhead, who works full time as a PR director, said fitting her training and eating regime around her job requires careful planning.

“I travel a lot with my job and I get up at 4:30am to fit in my training sessions,” she said.

“If I’m away from home I have to find a 24-hour gym and make sure I stick to my diet.”

She said she eats between five and seven carefully planned meals each day, which she weighs out and measures for carbohydrates, protein and fat.

“I prepare all my meals and if I’m away I take them all with me in a portable fridge in my car boot,” she said.