A FITNESS instructor was motivated to succeed in business by her troubled childhood and eating disorders.

Zuzana Strbakova, 33, of Brighton, describes herself as upbeat, confident and outgoing.

But she was born in Slovakia and suffered violence and abuse as a child, leading to binge eating.

As a troubled teenager she turned to dance as an outlet and ended up escaping to Ibiza to work as a club dancer.

She arrived in the UK in 2005 with no skills or work experience – but a burning desire to make something of her life.

Zuzana said: “I knew that if I worked hard and put lots of effort and passion in, one day I would find something that would truly fulfil me.

“Every way I turned, I had to teach myself how to do things, choose right from wrong and which direction to take. There wasn’t anyone to show me the way.

“However, I’ve always had the most powerful of weapons, the knowledge of survival.

“I knew that nothing could and nothing would ever be as bad as things were back in Slovakia. And that knowledge kept me going.”

Despite carving out a career the pressure pushed her back towards her eating disorder.

She said: “Things got so bad that in 2010 I wanted to end my own life because I was too exhausted by pretending and too weak and depressed to carry on.

After two years of therapy she said she is on the road to recovery thanks to exercise and the love of a good man.

She is now a full time fitness instructor, personal trainer, group exercise instructor and a nutritionist – the “best decisions I ever made”.

Zuzana added: “I am very passionate about what I do and I truly believe that this is what I was born to do.

“Exercise has saved and changed my life forever and I want people to experience the same.

“I know what it’s like to be at the lowest point imaginable, believing there’s no other way but to end it all.

“And I also know that there is a way back and that there is a light even in the darkest of places and it is possible to completely turn things around, to be healthy, happy and safe.”

Her fitness business Z-energy teaches at various venues in Brighton and Hove.