Ajay Rochester

Infobox_Person
name = Ajay Rochester


caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1969|4|17|df=yes
birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
birth_name = Leigh Towler
death_date =
death_place =
known_for = "The Biggest Loser"
occupation = Television presenter of "The Biggest Loser", author, actress, comedian, speaker
spouse =
children = Kai Rochester

Ajay Rochester (born Leigh Towler on 17 April 1969 in Sydney) is an Australian actress and author. She is the host of the Australian version of reality weight-loss television series "The Biggest Loser".

Family and personal life

Rochester was adopted as a child, and was emotionally and physically abused by her adoptive mother. She located her birth mother in 1992 after years of searching, although her mother committed suicide a year later.Marcus, Caroline: [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/love-you-mum/2007/05/12/1178899157838.html How Kai helped Ajay become a big winner] , 'The Sydney Morning Herald", 13 May 2007.]

Rochester has a son, Kai, from a previous relationship. Kai was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at the age of five. She was engaged to British-born telecommunications manager Martin Gleave, but called off the wedding and ended the relationship in August 2007. [Sydney Confidential: [http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22172908-10229,00.html Biggest Loser host sheds her pal] , "The Daily Telegraph", 7 August 2007.]

Weight loss work

Rochester suffered from obesity, which she attributed to the death of her birth mother and her estrangement from her adoptive mother. She resolved to lose weight following the birth of her child, and shed over 50 kilograms since giving birth.

Since then, she has been involved in several weight loss projects, most notably hosting "The Biggest Loser" on Network Ten. She founded a website, "The Healthy Body Club", and authored the books "Confessions of a Reformed Dieter", "Blubberguts" and "The Lazy Girl's Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit". [ [http://www.thebiggestloser.com.au/ajay-rochester-profile.htm Profile: Ajay Rochester] , "The Biggest Loser" (Network Ten).]

Other television work

Rochester appeared on the reality television series "Celebrity Dog School" with her Pomeranian, "Bootsie". [ [http://ten.com.au/ten/2624.html Celebrity Dog School: Ajay Rochester] , Network Ten.]

Fraud charges

In June 2008, Rochester was due to appear in a Sydney court to face nine charges of receiving a financial advantage from a Commonwealth entity and fourteen charges of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage, namely claiming a single parent payment between December 2001 and December 2005, for which (it is alleged) that she was not entitled. She failed to appear at the court case, and it was reported that she was "holidaying in Fiji." The case was ajourned until July, where she was required to attend in person. [ [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23877684-29277,00.html Biggest Loser host court no-show] , "The Daily Telegraph",] She did so, on July 8th and plead not guilty [ [http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/07/08/Ajay_Rochester_pleads_not_guilty_to_fraud "Ajay Rochester pleads not guilty to fraud ", Macquarie National News, as published on LiveNews.com] ] , based on a technicality. The matter was stood down until September 9th.

References

External links

* [http://www.ajrochester.com/ AJ Rochester official website]
* [http://www.thebiggestloser.com.au/ShowExperts/AJ.aspx Profile on The Biggest Loser website]
*imdb name|2304967