Australia’s most high profile fitness couple Michelle Bridges and Steve ‘Commando’ Willis are handing over the skipping ropes to a new guard on the next series of The Biggest Loser.
Synonymous with the weight-loss series since 2007, Michelle, 45, now mum to Axel, and Commando step aside to make way for Sydney-based trainer Libby Babet to join regular Shannon Ponton.
“Working with the new contestants was always a humbling and challenging experience,” Commando tells the Sunday Telegraph.
“It has been a privilege and an honour to have had this role on The Biggest Loser,” adds Michelle.
The duo’s departure also heralds a shake-up in the format for the long-running series.
When its 11th season begins in 2017 it’ll be known as The Biggest Loser: Transformed, to reflect its focus on helping viewers watching at home, and a shift away from contestants in the morbidly obese category.
“You don’t have to be 180 kilos for bad health or bad habits to adversely affect your life,” says Shannon.
Contestants this year could potentially include mothers who have neglected their health, executives who need to get out from behind their desks, and former professional athletes who have let themselves go.
Shannon’s co-star Libby already has a long list of roles under her belt including being a fitness expert for Channel Ten and Women’s Fitness magazine.
The founder of functional training gym Agoga in Bondi, Babet told her 13,000 Instagram followers she was excited to be stepping up as a trainer alongside “legend” Shannon.
“I can’t wait to bring a fresh feel to the show and prove that health and fitness can be a fun and uplifting lifestyle!” she writes.
Libby also believes the new season will be more empowering than the previous ones.
“It’s about a more positive, holistic and exciting experience that is going to make people want to train and be healthy, rather than thinking they should.”
