Ajay Rochester has slammed her former Biggest Loser colleague in a long rant online claiming “she stole my idea”.
Fitness guru Michelle Bridges, 44, was this week named as one of Australia’s richest self-made women, ranking at number 29 in a list of 30 published by BRW magazine, with an estimated $53 million fortune to her name from her ever-growing health empire.
It seems that was all that the former Biggest Loser host Ajay needed to trigger her into a vast online rant, slamming her former co-star, claiming that she stole her idea for a book.
“She copied all my business ideas, even took one of my book titles, she made every work day miserable.”
Ajay, 45, alleges that Michelle’s 2008 diet and fitness book, titled 5 Minutes A Day was a rip-off of a similarly titled self-help book published by Ajay the year prior, titled the 5 Minute Diet Book.
“Of all the book ideas and all the book titles in the world she chose this one, 14 months after the publication of mine?” Ajay said.
Ajay shared pictures comparing the titles of her and Michelle’s books.
“People forget even before biggest loser I had healthy body club,” Ajay said.” An online network for women (who) lose weight.”
Ajay, who is known for courting controversy on social media, says that the rant came about after she was contacted to comment on Michelle’s fortune.
She wrote: “A journo asked me last night why I hadn’t sued Michelle Bridges for ripping off my book. At the time I replied, ‘Oh I hadn’t thought of that, maybe I should.’ I slept on it and couldn’t get it out of my head. She was right.”
That wasn’t all that Ajay had to say about the colleague that she worked with for two years on The Biggest Loser from 2007 to 2009. She also accused her of being a bully and hinted that Michelle is the reason she moved across the globe to her current base in Los Angeles.
“I don’t begrudge her the money I just hate the way she treated me when we worked together.”
“She spread lies about me until everyone hated me, she leaked bulls*#t to the media and my bosses until she was a top dog and ‘karma’ seems to have done nothing but reward her.”
“The reality is, I was so traumatized after the incessant bullying I received in Australia I definitely displayed symptoms of PTSD, similar to many recently reported cases of people who had been twitter shamed.”
As to whether Ajay will sue the fitness guru Michelle? It sound like she’s keen to find a good legal representative! “Anyone know a good lawyer who wants to fight the good fight for REAL authors of ORIGINAL works?’
Michelle meanwhile has made no comment.
Ajay and Michelle in 2007 when they were all smile on The Biggest Loser together.
