Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and ex-wife Natalie Joyce’s marriage broke down following news of his affair with staffer Vikki Campion.
Following their split, Natalie has gone on to become a competitive bodybuilder, competing in Newcastle over the weekend. The 49-year-old has reportedly won two medals in her first competition in the First Timers and Miss Fitness Model Momma categories at the iCompete Natural (ICN) North Coast Classic bodybuilding competition in New Lambton in Newcastle, news.com.au reports.
The publication also reports Natalie has lost 15kgs since her split from the former Deputy PM.
Natalie’s trainer Kylie Steele praised her on Instagram, “One very proud coach!! 2 x 4th placings, first Comp!!! Congratulations Natalie Joyce you did me proud!”
The mother-of-four responded, “There were doubters, but you never did. You believed in me, encouraged me (with) a gentle, strong guiding hand. Thank you for being part of my amazing journey and to my friends who believed I could.”
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Ms Joyce said her daughters thought she “had gone mad when I told them I would be strutting my stuff wearing nothing more than a skimpy bikini, flexing my muscles for all to see”.
In a tell-all interview with the AWW last year, Ms Joyce spoke candidly about her ex-husband’s very public affair. “I wasn’t surprised she sold their ‘exclusive’ story, and certainly not surprised the $150,000 went to her child, but it begs the question if Barney agreed to be a part of it, how could he allow his four girls to be overlooked?” she told the magazine.
“In saying that, I wouldn’t want a cent of that money. It was all we could do to watch it without throwing a brick at the TV!”
In a Facebook post after her magazine interview, Ms Joyce revealed how the experience had helped her turn a corner. “This week I was proud to be featured in the AWW Rural Women’s special,” she wrote. “I found speaking to my trusted journalist friend Lizzie Wilson and the AWW team a cathartic experience. I implore that journalists and media outlets respect my story and not sabotage or transcribe as this factual story was deliberate to empower myself and my girls.”
“We feel that we have completed our journey…our lives move forward from this point,” she finished.
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