Irina Cotton

2011-11-18 Russian champion gymnast Irina Cotton used government security adviser's credit card to buy protein shakes A former Russian gymnast has been convicted of fraud after stealing from her former government security adviser lover to buy protein supplements. Irina Cotton, 51, who moved to the UK from Ukraine in 2003, stole more than £400 from forensic scientist Jonathan Clark, 63. After arriving in Britain, soon after the collapse of the USSR, she took up bodybuilding. Last year she won British fitness champion for the third time and has won the titles of 'Musclemania' and the Miss Shape Body Beautiful title. The pair met in a bar and Cotton agreed to become Mr Clark's personal trainer. Mr Clark - who was seeing someone else at the time - agreed that Cotton could move into his house in Dartford, Kent, in lieu of payment. They struck up a relationship that lasted for just a month, after which Cotton continued to use Mr Clark's credit card to buy muscle-building products. Mr Clark said at Maidstone Crown Court: 'She told me about her job and that she was a professional bodybuilder. 'We discussed my fitness and a change of lifestyle - I was intent on becoming fitter and losing some weight. 'She had lost her job and we discussed her being my personal trainer. I was still living with my partner. 'The terms were she moved into a flat (at my home) and instead of paying rent she would provide a number of hours training per week.' ©Exclusivepix Photo: Exclusivepix / ExclusivePix / SCANPIX / kod 10481 ref: ***BETALBILD***