A FORMER British international bodybuilding champion, Joanna Thomas, has died aged 43, friends and family say.

Joanna became the youngest female to earn a pro card at just 21 years old, after competing in the US.

The Champion died at her home in Cornwall, the same place she grew up before moving to Fort Lauderdale in Florida to pursue her career.

Bodybuilding website Digital Muscle paid tribute to the star who passed away April – but news of her death just reached the public.

“Recently Joanna had expressed transforming her body back into reasonable shape after years of inactivity and carrying extra bodybuilding weight,” Digital Muscle wrote.

“The sport of bodybuilding has truly lost one of its hardcore members of the iron game and she will be sorely missed.

Joanna faced multiple health complications stemming from her bodybuilding career, The Sun reports.

Last year she created an online fundraising page to raise money towards helping her get back on track. On the page, she also talked about how she was suffering from mental health issues.