A super-fit woman says she is the only world champion professional bikini bodybuilder – who is also a gran.
38-year-old Anca Nicoleta Ward began her career in the fitness industry nine years ago and is now one of the most successful names in the industry.
She has dedicated her life to being a world champion, despite having one son, two stepchildren and even a grandson.
Anca moved to England from Romania 21 years ago and she is the current British champion in the ‘Mums that lift’ and ‘Bikini Wellness’ categories - amongst many other accolades.
She’s also won multiple ‘Bikini Wellness’ titles at the World Championships and placed in dozens of other competitions.
And although she is often one of the older competitors in the field she has no desire to retire just yet.
“Thinking about it, I must be the first professional bikini wellness champion to be a grandma,” she said.
“Everybody always asks how long I want to do it for. I’m not sure, I’m going to do it for as long as I enjoy.
“All I want to do right now is retain my titles at the World Championships in November and get my tiara.
“They say stop at the top – but it’s a challenge for me. I still don’t like failure – but things can go wrong, and the body can turn on you at the last minute.
"The whole process is expensive, it’s a little bit selfish and you do need the support at home which I have."
Anca has always been into fitness for as long as she can remember, but she found herself becoming curious about how certain people got “so big” in the gym.
“I’ve always been into sports,” she added.
“I’ve done karate since the age of seven then I did dance back home.
“When I came to England, I carried on doing running, even did a few marathons.
“Then I went to the gym and saw these huge people. I thought, ‘I don’t look like them – why don’t I?’
“I spoke to a trainer, and he said weight training is the way to go, but I knew nothing about nutrition - I didn’t know what not to eat or how to rest my body.
“The I got into weight training - I used to watch bodybuilders in America and thought ‘I can do that.’
The fitness fanatic often gets complimented on her physique by strangers, but insists a lot more goes into achieving it than people might think.
“I went to do some shopping a few days ago and some man said he saw my on the tele and asked for picture, as his missus would be jealous,” she said.
“It felt good but a little crazy! People on the street compliment me all the time.
“It feels nice, but I always think people just see the end result – they don’t see the hard work. For example, I practise posing every day leading up to the competitions for 30 to 45 minutes.
“You have to pull sexy poses but it’s hard. You’re covered in fake tan, sweating from nerves and high on adrenaline - but you’ve got to suck your tummy in.
“I also prep food for four hours every evening.”
Anca, who is married to husband Ted, 56, eats up to 3,000 calories in the off season – with her diet made up of foods such as rice, fish, potatoes, and chicken.
She added she looks better now than she did in her younger days, but says bodybuilding is a way of life.
“My first competition was after I had my son,” she said.
“After having Teddy and starting weight training and I was in the best shape I’ve ever been in. I looked better in my thirties than I ever looked in my twenties.
“It’s all about training hard and turning it into a lifestyle.
“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke – a lot goes into it.”
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