Jodie Marsh looks unrecognisable in school snap as posh forgotten past resurfaces - The Mirror

Jodie Marsh was one of the biggest names in the British glamour modelling scene, but has since traded that all in as she takes on a much quieter life helping animals on her farm

Once a renowned glamour model of the Noughties, Jodie Marsh now leads a drastically different life away from the limelight. The 47-year-old, famed her daring fashion choices like wearing a belt as a bra, is now more likely to be spotted in wellies tending to her Fripps Farm. Since its establishment in 2020, Jodie has traded red carpet appearances for devoting her time to aiding animals in need.

However, it's not all smiles for Jodie as she's suffered a terrible heartbreak at her beloved farm. The star was left devastated after a fire at her animal sanctuary killed two animals over the weekend. Local fire crews were called to her Essex farm on Saturday, following reports of a fire. Two marmosets died in the blaze, which started on the first floor at around 5pm on Saturday. The fire is said to have been accidental and started by an electrical item

Away from the tragedy, her new life on the farm it isn't too dissimilar from her upbringing, where she was a high-achieving student at a private school. Raised by millionaire parents John and Kristina Marsh, who amassed their wealth through the scaffolding business, Jodie grew up in a lavish Tudor-style mansion near Brentwood in Essex.

After securing 11 GCSEs with A and B grades and three straight As at A level at the £10,000-a-year Brentwood School, academically gifted Jodie had aspirations of becoming a vet or a lawyer.

Despite her privileged upbringing, the star endured severe bullying at school due to her thick glasses and a broken nose, the result of a hockey accident. In her Channel 5 documentary Bullied: My Secret Past, Jodie revealed the extent of her torment, with bullies kicking footballs at her head and leaving her seeking refuge in the library during lunch breaks.

The bullying became so severe that she considered ending her own life. "My bullying at school changed my life," the former glamour model revealed on This Morning. "After I broke my nose in a hockey accident, they started picking on my nose and then I got called ugly and big nose, dodgy nose and all sorts of things right the way through secondary school.

"By the end of my time secondary school I didn't have a single friend there. I was a complete loner at school. I contemplated suicide loads of times."

The celebrity explained that her school ordeal drove her ambition to pursue modelling, determined to "prove to my bullies that I wasn't ugly". Her journey to stardom kicked off on the ITV reality programme Essex Wives, whilst working as a pole dancer at Stringfellows and living in a property her father had constructed on his estate grounds.

Jodie's mother Kristina, who passed away from cancer in 2020, embraced her daughter's career choice. "People found it fascinating," she shared with ESPN. "My mum and dad have their own scaffolding business and they had all of this money and houses, and I was a lap dancer. I wanted to earn my own money. It was good money at the time, about 10,000 pounds a week in cash."

The model and dancer rapidly became a reality TV sensation, recognised for her revealing wardrobe choices and her public feuds with fellow glamour model Katie Price. Katie infamously likened Jodie's nose to a "builder's elbow" whilst Jodie hit back at Katie's "Bond villain teeth".

Jodie graced the pages of lads' mags such as Loaded and FHM and became a familiar face on television, appearing on programmes like Come Dine With Me and Celebrity Big Brother, while also presenting her own documentary series.

She subsequently stepped away from the limelight to dedicate herself to competitive bodybuilding before establishing Fripps Farm, an animal sanctuary, in 2020.

Reflecting on her choices, the star harbours no second thoughts about forgoing a more conventional professional path. "I could've been a lawyer by now, I could've gone to uni," Jodie previously told the Guardian. "But I've taken the quickest and easiest route to making as much money as I can, and having as much fun as I can, and I don't regret that."