Elizabeth Smart she has spent more than two decades reclaiming her story – first as a survivor of kidnapping, then as a wife, mother and advocate for victims of sexual violence. Now he’s entering a new chapter as a competitive bodybuilder, and says the sport has changed the way he sees himself.
“I always felt like there was a way I had to present myself,” Smart only said Us Weekly in May 2026. “Bodybuilding helped me relax.”
Smart first wowed social media fans in April 2026 when she shared a photo of herself wearing a blue bikini and high heels, revealing a stunning body transformation. The revelation comes nearly 23 years after the Salt Lake City native was abducted from her bedroom at age 14 — a case that took the nation by storm and continued to garner renewed attention with the January 2026 Netflix documentary, Hostage: Elizabeth Smart.
The kidnapping and rescue of Elizabeth Smart
Smart was kidnapped on June 5, 2002, by Brian David Mitchellhis family had previously hired him to help in their home. He was not rescued until March 12, 2003, marking more than nine months of captivity.
Meanwhile, Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzeehe held Smart at a campsite, where he endured sexual abuse, physical abuse and psychological abuse. Mitchell, who claimed to be a prophet following orders from God, declared Smart his “wife” on the night of the kidnapping and raped her.
“It didn’t matter what I did. In the end, he raped me,” Smart recalled in the Netflix documentary. “I remember being in a lot of pain. I remember begging him to stop.”
Smart also revealed that Mitchell planned to kidnap seven girls in total. He was finally saved after he convinced Mitchell to return to Salt Lake City by telling him that God had commanded him, and the villagers recognized the trio through a composite painting and alerted the police.
Mitchell was convicted in December 2011 and sentenced to life in prison. Barzee received a 15-year sentence and was released in 2018.
The Bodybuilding Revolution by Elizabeth Smart
Smart started his competitive bodybuilding journey in January 2025 and has lost about 30 pounds. The goal-oriented nature of the game appealed to him in a way that others did not.
“I’ve always liked to have a goal since I was studying music at school to run a marathon and I want to improve my time,” said Smart. Us. “Having a clear, defined goal with a set date, something to work towards, appealed to me that way.”
In April 2026, Smart entered the Wasatch Warrior fitness competition in Salt Lake City, entering under her married name. You are married Matthew Gilmour since 2012, and the couple share three children: Chloe, James and Olivia.
Smart placed first in the Fit Model Novice category, second in Fit Model D and third in Fit Model Masters 35+. Our competitor Lila Cowdellwho finished third in the Fit Model D, he said Us he didn’t know he was sharing the field with Smart.
“We competed in the same class. I actually didn’t know it was him,” said Cowdell. “He holds himself very high and is very humble.”
Inside Elizabeth Smart’s Fitness Routine and Diet
Smart trains five to six days a week for 45 minutes, focusing on individual muscle groups and lifting as much as possible. He previously revealed that he can breathe while holding a 65-pound dumbbell in each hand.
“It’s good to have a coach around [to] look at me or [say]’No, you can make it heavy,’” Smart said Us. “It’s a lot of work, but I didn’t know how much work it would be.”
The shorter training sessions actually gave Smart more time with his kids compared to his long distance training. “Running would take hours and hours and hours, and then I’d be tired for the rest of the day,” he said. “My long training runs got to the point where they were so long that by the time I was done, I didn’t want to do anything for the rest of the day.”
Elizabeth Smart’s father, Ed Smart, shares his thoughts on the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie. Ed, 70, reflected on Elizabeth’s 2002 kidnapping while explaining the importance of Nancy’s family sharing public pleas for her safe return during an interview with Fox & Friends on Thursday, February 5. […]
And aim for 10,000 steps a day with daily activities. “So I clean my house, I walk my dog, I step on the treadmill … however, I get 10,000 steps a day, that’s usually my goal,” he explained.
Smart admitted that sticking to the diet has been the hardest part of her transformation. “I really love food, I love food,” she said. “Diet will always be very difficult, physically, mentally.”
Elizabeth Smart Responds to Online Backlash About Bodybuilding
After Smart revealed her bodybuilding transformation on Instagram, she faced a wave of criticism online. He later wrote that he feared being considered “unfit to continue the work of being an advocate for all survivors.”
His competitors immediately defended him. Cowdell said Us he was “frustrated by the backlash” Smart received.
“He’s getting hate and he doesn’t deserve to be a victim,” Cowdell said. “This is a sport that people work hard for and it requires self-control and strength from an ordinary person, not to mention someone who has been traumatized and in pain.
A competitor Jimmy Rexwho briefly met Smart years ago on a game night in Provo, Utah, echoed that sentiment.
“I just thought it was really cool,” Rex said Us. “I know how much making a plan helps you, just confidence.”
Elizabeth Smart is still hopeful that Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, may live more than three months after she went missing in Arizona. “He might still be alive,” Smart, 38, told CNN on Tuesday, May 5. “There are cases that take years longer than mine and come back alive. And […]
Rex also offered his opinion on why critics are targeting Smart. “When you see someone like Elizabeth Smart [doing] that is, you react in one of two ways. You might say, ‘I need to impress that person,’ or you [have] to change yourself because you don’t feel good about yourself,” she said.
Cowdell added that Smart’s resilience is its own form of motivation. “It gives him the strength to go through something so difficult and shows him confidence and builds the mental game that body building requires,” she said. “I would say not everyone can do it.”
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
