MOST women would shudder at the prospect of standing on a stage wearing nothing but a skimpy bikini. But Marina Cornwall hasn't got the body of most women. She is a world bodybuilding champion with killer abs, super toned thighs and the ability to lift more than double her own bodyweight.

But surprisingly, Marina struggles with self-consciousness when she is on stage.

"I can train, diet and focus but I have always felt uncomfortable with standing on stage posing," she confesses.

"I normally run on and then run off again. I have learnt how to smile and relax."

Today however, the 53-year-old thinks nothing of whipping off her tracksuit for our photoshoot, revealing a tiny pink bikini and the kind of body Wonder Woman would be envious of.

But if you're picturing a thickset, mannish frame, think again.

At 5ft and weighing 7st, Marina is positively dainty.

She is dwarfed by the squashy leather sofa in her modest Chandler's Ford flat and when she is fully clothed it would be impossible to guess her profession.

"People expect this massive, unfeminine person to come through the door," she says. "But I've always been a girly girl.

I like my earrings and I like to have my nails painted."

Today Marina's cropped hair is styled to perfection, her make-up in place and her delicate features framed by long silver earrings.

"A lot of people are using chemicals to enhance their appearance and that's when women can start looking like men," says Marina, a member of the Drug Free for Life bodybuilding federation.

"I'm dead against drugs. I don't knock anybody else and I understand why they do it but to me it's cheating.

"I don't understand people who take something and hope they won't get caught out. I think it's shameful.

There are so many tests from urine samples to lie detector tests. You know that if you even take an aspirin it will be detected.

"I like to go on stage knowing I'm deserving of that trophy, that I've worked to get it the hard way."

And achieving a body like Marina's requires discipline.

It takes her 12 weeks to get in shape for a competition, restricting her diet to porridge and water for breakfast, chicken or fish with broccoli and brown rice for lunch and the same again for supper, minus the carbs. Snacks include egg whites, tinned tuna, oat cakes and protein shakes.

She also gets through three litres of water a day.

"I don't find it that hard. I just get in the mindset. And once you get that trophy it's worth it."

Marina's floor-to-ceiling trophy stand is crammed with gleaming cups and musclebound statuettes from her many championship wins.

Since a friend encouraged her to begin bodybuilding in 1997 she has gone on to win the British Championships three times and became the World Natural Lightweight Bodybuilding Champion in 2005.

Having always been into sports (she was school sports captain, made it to the last 700 for television show Gladiators but was rejected for her lack of aggression, and competed in national cross training championships for seven years) it was a natural progression to bodybuilding.

But it was not a cheap career move.

A single competition can cost more than £2,000 meaning Marina relies on her sponsors: Southampton restaurateur Kuti Miah and supplements manufacturer CNP.

She also earns work as a personal trainer, fitting her daily cardio wo rko u t s and weightlifting sess i o n s around her clients at Southampton gym Fitness First.

Even in her "off season"

Marina maintains a rigorous fitness regime.

"I know bodybuilders who can put on between two and five stone when they are off season but I like to look fit and athletic all the time. As a personal trainer I like to be a role model for my clients.

"I like to encourage other women, to motivate and inspire them. I think size zero is really unhealthy.

"People will say that bodybuilders' diets are unhealthy too.

But I would argue that my diet is better than people who eat nothing but fast food.

"People are always trying to catch me out though. They check my basket in Asda to see if I've sneaked in something naughty!"

All the hard work is in preparation for one day - the competition.

Even then, contenders have some last minute tricks up their sleeve including cutting back their water intake and rubbing their abs with haemorrhoid cream to suck out water and enhance muscle definition.

"Everybody also looks orange because we have paint on tans," laughs Marina. "You see huge guys painting themselves with rollers and drip trays like you'd use to paint your house.

"Just before you go on, you have wine and chocolate and do some pressups because it brings your veins out."

Competitors complete a sequence of compulsory poses in front of the judges before performing a one-minute solo routine.

"It can be bitchy, especially in the UK," reveals Marina. "I've seen competitors throw their medal across the room because they thought they deserved a higher place. Other girls have walked off the stage in tears or snubbed me if I've won.

"But I know what it's like to come fourth or fifth and it just inspires you to come back, work harder and win next time."

Marina is also used to mixed reactions from members of the public.

"I've had nothing but respect from the guys even in the real spit and sawdust gyms. Men often come up and say I look awesome. There are some who find it attractive and others who don't like it.

"In the US people often take pictures and it's like you're a celebrity.

"I think my mum and dad would have preferred me to take up a different sport.

Although my mum is Maltese and her brother is a bodybuilder so you'd think she would see it differently. But now she is proud of me and all my friends are really supportive.

"Women who appreciate how hard I've worked and who maybe don't see me as a threat tell me I look great but you get some that think it's horrible and you can see them making faces.

"I was at an event once and two women were talking about me in the Ladies saying I looked disgusting. They didn't know I was in a cubicle."

When asked what she gets out of bodybuilding, Marina doesn't miss a beat. "Winning!"

she grins.

"With a bit of determination and commitment I believe you can achieve anything."