‘Figure magician’ who helped Princess of Wales get in shape after the birth of Prince George closes her business after revealing it ‘did not survive’ the pressure of her divorce and pandemic losses
- Louise Parker, 47, had clients including Kate Middleton and Emma Thompson
- The fitness guru’s method involves ‘intelligent’ exercise and three meals a day
- Louise has posted about ‘new chapters’ of her life on her Instagram account
- She revealed she was closing her business due to the split and pandemic losses
A personal trainer dubbed ‘the figure magician’ who coached the Princess of Wales after the birth of Prince George has been forced to close her business after getting divorced and suffering financially from the coronavirus pandemic.
Personal trainer Louise Parker, 47, who has been described as the ‘secret weapon of Hollywood stars, international sportsmen and even royalty’, has shut up her shop in London’s Walton Street and left the Wellness Centre in Harrods.
In a post on Instagram, she revealed her ‘family company’, Parker Practice, did not make it through the pandemic or the breakdown of her marriage, despite her impressive client list.
Personal trainer Louise Parker, 47 (pictured), has announced she’s closing her fitness and wellbeing business after it was unable to recover from her divorce from her husband Paul, who was the artistic and creative director, and also due to financial pressures after the pandemic
Louise ran the Parker Practice with her ex-husband Paul (pictured together in 2018) but the couple divorced during the pandemic
Louise’s clients include the Princess of Wales (pictured at the London Stadium earlier this month) who followed the Louise Parker Method after giving birth to Prince George
The Louise Parker Method, which Kate Middleton followed in 2013 after the birth of her eldest son, Prince George, coaches people to think about weight loss as a lifestyle change rather than a diet and favours Mediterranean ingredients.
The trainer’s website, Parker Practice, lists her ex-husband Paul as its creative and artistic director.
Describing his role, the website reads: ‘When he’s not creating, Paul can be found with watering can in hand making sure his precious plants are ok.’
In her book, The Louise Parker Method: Lean for Life, she explained her programme in more detail as a lifestyle change and wrote: ‘I loathe dieting. I’m actually on a mission to end it.’
Louise admitted on Instagram that her ‘family business’, for which her ex-husband Paul was creative and artistic director, ‘did not survive’ the pandemic or the divorce
In 2018 Louise posted a photo of her husband Paul on Instagram during their ‘double date’ sparring session
Among the principles she instills in her clients are positive thinking, self-care and living well, eating three balanced meals a day and ‘intelligent’ exercise – such as the Princess of Wales’s CrossFit workout.
She also appeared to live an active life with her husband Paul until the pair separated, posting a video of him sparring in a joint boxing workout in 2018.
Underneath the video she wrote: ‘I love embarrassing my husband on Instagram. Great double date PT session, each in our own studio with the fabulous Ray and Robyn.’
Sadly, after a difficult few years in which her mother died from lymphoma and the business was hit by the pandemic, Louise announced on Instagram that she was closing up shop – but promised her business will return in some form.
She wrote: ‘With much regret, my company I set up in 2007, has moved out of our Walton Street home. Our family company did not survive Covid nor the breakdown of our marriage.
‘I have so much to be thankful for. A team who made everyday fun and meaningful. I thank you all. I thank all our brilliant clients, from all over the world. There were days I’d stand in this spot, thinking I was the luckiest girl alive.
‘I still am. I would like to offer my word to every client I have been honoured to meet along the way. DM me. I will honour your programmes and continue to look after you. I thank you all for putting your faith in my method. I’ll be back.’
Just three years ago, Louise appeared to have it all: A successful business, with clients such as Emma Thompson and Sandi Toksvig, and author of three books, she was married to husband Paul, whom she met at the baggage reclaim at Heathrow Airport, with three daughters Sophie, now 15, Millie 12, and Coco, nine.
But in 2019, she had one of the hardest years of her life, suffering bleeding during an emergency operation to remove her appendix, which led to sepsis.
Shortly afterwards her mother died from lymphoma and she herself was diagnosed with PTSD. Then came the pandemic and lockdown. By the end of the year, she was getting divorced after 15 years of marriage.
How to keep weight off permanently
The four pillars of the Louise Parker Method:
Think Successfully
Adopt a positive mindset
Assume nothing but success
Visualise your goal. It needs to be so clear you can literally feel it
Keep positive, inspiring company
Eat Beautifully
Eat three meals and two snacks a day
Balance each meal with all the necessary macronutriants: these include proteins, fat and carbs that are low in GI
Stay well hydrated – Sip, sip sip aiming for two litres of water a day
Be prepared when you’re on the go
Live Well
Declutter your surroundings
Digital detox after 9pm every night
Sleep 7-8 hours a night
Take a ‘brain-nap’ for 20 minutes a day
Make time for simple pleasures every single day
Exercise Intelligently
Build the habit of exercise
Weave activity into your everyday with a minimum of 10,000 steps a day
Fads don’t work, gimmicks are gimmicks and extremes don’t last.
Consistency is a Louise Parker mantra
Under the headline ‘Chapters’ she wrote on January 3, 2021: ‘Turns page. Chapter Two Any advice?’ with the hashtags #divorcing #divorcesupport #coercivecontrol #womensaid #metoo #justleave #lightbeyondthedarkness #mothersofdaughters #controlisabuse.
Then, on April 4, she revealed that she had turned another page: ‘We grow up with such an idealistic view on how our life should be; love, friendships, a career or even the home in which we hoped to live and settle,’ she wrote.
‘That was always my dream, but perhaps we need to adjust our dreams. As life happens and despite our best laid plans, we may realise much is not what we expected and the reality feels challenging, disheartening.
‘We must keep the faith as this is when the most surprising transformations happen. We are exactly where we are meant to be. When we accept this, I wonder if perhaps we learn the greatest gift of all.
‘A new beginning can start now – right now – and if we want anything passionately enough, we always find the courage to pursue it with all we have. The past doesn’t have to be the future, stop making it so. Sleep well and dream big.’
But a year ago, she posted on Instagram to say she felt she had turned a corner.
On August 5, she wrote: ‘I am stronger now because I had to be. I am smarter as I’ve had to learn through some tough truths. I am happier as I have found courage and freedom.
‘In one year, I have travelled far, yet barely left the county. I am so thankful for my friendships, my daughters and I’m not quite sure how I shall feel in a year. And I’m good with that.
‘My closest friends say: ‘You Will Rise Like A Phoenix’ and so I must trust them, as they are pretty cool. What I do know for sure is this; one foot in front of the other, do the next right thing, stand up for yourself, edit your life to be true to yourself and the rest takes care of itself.’
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