At 19 stone, and fearing she would succumb to diabetes or heart problems, Georgie Copeman couldn't shake her unhappiness and knew she needed to make changes.

Now, two years on, having started working with Maidstone-based fitness coach Adel Murphy, Ms Copeman is a transformed woman and storming to the top of leaderboards in fitness competitions.

The judges at the Pure Elite national bodybuilding competition awarded top spot to the 45-year-old in the transformation category who has now done enough to become a professional when she feels the time is right.

She had weighed nearly 19 stone at her heaviest but she is now 10st 4lb and has 4% body fat.

Ms Copeman says the point where she needed to change came when she took a photograph of herself at her Weavering home in June 2019.

"I’m in a blue fitness top and blue shorts, and I just looked so unhappy," she said.

“For me, standing in my own bathroom, taking that photograph, I looked at myself and I thought ‘I need to do something.’

“My relationship with food became so poor and I felt just so rubbish about myself.

“I just wanted to really transform and really change.

“It wasn't that I was unfit and didn't know what to do. All my life I have been really competitive, I have run marathons and got good times and compete in marshal arts.

"But the problem was that life got in the way. I was emotionally comfort eating and not actually running any marathons.

"It was just a cake here or some junk food, but it all mounted up."

The first step was starting to eat healthier, with Ms Copeman losing a stone in just a month and beginning to feel better about herself with more weight shed over the first few months.

She then signed up for community fitness classes hosted by Adel Murphy before beginning weight training.

She added: "That is where my fitness journey really began. Adel went on a similar sort of journey with her fitness. She competed in the Pure Elite category as well.”

Ms Copeman can recall the early days in the gym where she could lift weights of around 5kg. But progression soon followed as the numbers went up, initially in increments of 2.5kg.

As a comparison now, she can hip raise (lifting a barbell on your legs from the floor to strengthen the glutes) with 100kg.

She added: "It has all been about building up really slowly. No-one starts at that weight and the focus of my training was getting the technique spot-on as you cannot progress if you're not getting it right.

"I also had a shoulder injury so certain exercises were out until that healed and I took it very steady and just used a resistance band until things had healed."

Her workouts consist of a lot of compound movements - exercises which work several muscle groups at the same time such as deadlifts, squats and bench presses.

It was Miss Murphy who raised the prospect of Ms Copeman competing in bodybuilder contests, something she had not thought about before until she "insanely" clicked the link and signed up, on a whim, to take part in Pure Elite.

She won her category which involved walking and posing for judges but cautioned: "You have to have done the work in the gym beforehand. There's no catching up later."

Miss Murphy has herself been on quite a remarkable journey.

She decided to make a big change and move from Dublin, Ireland, to England in 2016 and came first in the Pure Elite UK Championships in the 35+ category a year later.

She produced a documentary about her experience with depression and anxiety to help improve people's mental health in 2019, which is when Ms Copeman first met Miss Murphy, and became inspired by her story.

This year, Miss Murphy has also battled long Covid but is on the mend now.

Ms Copeman, a communications manager at the Kent and Medway NHS Trust, was back before judges last Sunday - this time coming third in the fitness model over-35 and over-45 category at the Miami Pro fitness and model world championships, held at Wyllyotts Theatre in Potters Bar, as well as finishing third in the muscle model open category.

Judges were assessing muscle definition, size, overall health and wellbeing and stage presence.

Ms Copeman said: "It was a big step up from the last competition. The standard was much, much higher.

"I also had the opportunity to go for pro cards. I came away with three third-place finishes and three pro cards.

"It, basically, means I now have the opportunity to go pro now or wait another year."

Comparing her success at the Miami Pro event to the joy she enjoyed in Margate, she added: "It was a very different achievement.

"Your first-ever competition is always going to be the one you really remember because it is such a new experience.

"But this is a different level."

Reflecting, Ms Copeman added: “My inspiration came from the fact that I needed to be healthy.

“If I didn’t change something in my life, I was on that road to either getting diabetes, or having a heart attack or a stroke - and it frightened me.

“So I was looking for somebody who could help me lose the weight and I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Adel.”

To take part in the competitions, Ms Copeman follows a 'Prep' regime. That entails training three times a day for the whole week, as well as eating five meals a day and drinking five litres of water.

“So I was looking for somebody who could help me lose the weight and I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Adel...”

Her diet consisted of eggs or a Herbalife protein shake in the morning, either an egg-based or yoghurt-based mid-morning snack, largely fish-based lunches, an afternoon snack such as almonds and fresh salmon for dinner.

“There is a perception that this is unhealthy,” she said.

“It can be - but only if it is not done correctly.”

After a whirlwind fortnight, life for Ms Copeman has now returned to some normality.

"I'm back at work," she said.

"I'm back into the routine, so I have not had a chance to reflect. But I like it like that."

With the coronavirus pandemic meaning the Pure Elite event in Margate had to be rescheduled on several occasions, Ms Copeman had to be patient before getting her chance to shine on June 26.

She said: “I was in ‘prep’ for 25 weeks and so it was a little bit of a surreal moment to be standing on that stage, thinking ‘My goodness, I’m here and I’m competing’.”

Ms Copeman says she is unsure what she will do next but hopes to re-train as a lifestyle and wellness coach.

She added: "I know other people will look at my 'after' photos and think 'Oh it's OK for her' but the point is, I was that unhappy 19 stone person. I was a big girl and you just have to take that first step and decide to look after yourself and that you want to start the change."

Also at the Pure Elite competition in Winter Gardens, Margate, was Amelia Tank, girlfriend of Olly Murs.

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