Johanna Griggs had the all the attributes of a model so it’s no surprise that she had once had a brief career in the industry, after being struck down with an illness that dashed her hopes for the Olympics.
With her height, broad shoulders, thick blonde hair and a beautiful face, it’s no surprise that modelling came so natural to the TV presenter as a youth.
“Joh wasn’t shy and was totally unselfconscious, which made her a modelling natural,” explains one model manager, who says she was “discovered” after an agent spotted her in the sports pages of a newspaper.
“Modelling gigs fell in her lap very quickly because she was a bright, new face – one that always photographed differently with interesting angles,” explains the manager. “She isn’t a classic beauty but has the sort of wholesome Nordic looks the camera loves.”
These days Joh, 41, would prefer not to be reminded of her 12-month career in fashion though.
“Modelling is a throwback to a painful time in her life,” explains one friend.
“She dived into it when a health crisis prevented her from swimming and cost her a chance at Olympic glory. To this day, Joh wishes it was something she could go back in time and fix. She was struck down with chronic fatigue when she was 17 just as she was on the verge of becoming a world champion.
“It floored her and she struggled for years to recover and even five years after supposedly returning to ‘normal’, Joh had to take care not to overdo it and cause a relapse.”
Read more about Joh’s modelling career as a youth and see all the amazing flashback photos only in Woman’s Day, on sale Monday 22nd December.
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