Who is Maxine Jones?

Fitness trainer to Lorraine Kelly, Two best-selling DVDs under her belt, numerous TV appearances, the originator of the #SweatySelfie and now a brand new live stream fitness platform launched – it’s safe to say Maxicise TV’s Maxine Jones has come a long way since she ditched the chaotic, high-pressure money markets of the banking world.

It is, by anyone’s standards, one hell of a career move! Max spent 23 years in the thick of a stressful, male-dominated, testosterone-fuelled environment, sat at a desk for ten hours a day. In the end it was a bullying boss – something many of us will be able to relate to from one point or another in our lives – that saw Max turn her back on everything she knew.

“Going home in tears at the age of 40 was not in my life plan,” she freely admits. “I thought I’d left all that behind at school. Banking is a really sedentary job anyway, I’ve got far too much energy for just one person so this exit, as stressful as it was, was a blessing in disguise.

Getting to the gym as often as she could, Max tried everything from aerobics to yoga, dragging herself to classes, onto treadmills and joining running groups, searching for something she could click with and – most importantly – enjoy. In 2011 she discovered Zumba and she hasn’t looked back since – particularly when a certain national TV institution unexpectedly came through the door…

“When I walked into Max’s class my life changed for the better,” ITV’s Lorraine Kelly states with absolute certainty. “I feel better physically and mentally, I have more energy and a lot more confidence. Maxine’s classes really work, you tone up, lose weight and you keep it off! I love the camaraderie of all the class and the sheer joy and positive energy created.”

Max’s impact on Lorraine’s fitness led to the pair collaborating on two best-selling fitness DVDs, 2016’s ‘Living To The Max’ and 2017’s ‘Brand New You’, as well as regular spots on Lorraine’s ITV show, making Max a familiar face to millions of British households up and down the country.

Now on a mission to spread her energetic brand of fun-loving fitness to the nation at large, Max embarks on her most ambitious project to date – From Fed Up To Fit.

Her classes are streamed live from a church hall in the east end of London, MaxiciseTV is a subscription-based fitness program that combines Max’s love of music, dance and fitness, with a smart eating plan that works alongside an exercise routine.

“I’m not here to make you skinny,” she says. “We shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to anyone else and aiming to be a size zero. We’re all different, with different shapes, sizes, personalities, hairstyles and attitudes. I’m here to get you fit, happy and healthy!

It’s an attitude that is resonating with more and more people as they tune into and take advantage of Max’s unique and unending positive energy – one that will see her become a growing presence in the UK fitness world.

“The magic is in the music,” she says with a wink.

What’s quite clear to everyone, is that it’s Max who holds the wand.