Gerard Majda’s Instagram handle @bodymajic isn’t just a play on his name, it’s a nod to his past as “chubby teenager” who was bullied as pupil for having “man boobs” and loving “magic tricks.”
Now, the personal trainer from Perth is flaunting a six pack on season two of Love Island Australia and has a back story that shows he is a lot more than just a pretty face.
The 23-year-old runs a business called Body Majic, where he focuses on working with people with disabilities which he says is “the most humbling and rewarding part of what I do”.
“I help coach the CBC Fremantle (a Catholic school football team) and there are about 70 odd intellectually disabled guys who come down every week to play footy,” he says, adding that’s where he’s made “a really good friend Noel” who he spends time with every Monday. “Noel has got Down syndrome. He is the best. You never ever leave a training session with the boys, or hanging out with Noel, without a story.”
A quick scroll of Gerard’s Instagram feed shows body transformations, appreciation posts for his dad and Noel joining him for cooking demonstrations.
In addition to helping those with disabilities, Gerard also trains footballers from the Fremantle Dockers and West Coast Eagles.
Being in front of the camera may require a lot of confidence, but Gerard admits he had self-esteem issues when he was younger.
“There is no better feeling than being confident in whatever you are doing. But I tell ya confidence isn’t something your (sic) born with you have to work on it,” he wrote in an Instagram post shared last month.
“I was a chubby teenager that got picked on all throughout High school for having man boobs, being into things like magic tricks (has paid dividend in my adult life though) and never really had a place that I felt like I fit in with.”
Gerard explained that he turned to fitness as a way to improve his mood and build confidence.
“Any frustration I had from the s**t day at school I put into my workout,” he said. “After a while I star
ted to get real strong, fit, built some good muscle and found my thing. If it wasn’t for getting into the gym and keeping myself fit and healthy I never would have the confidence I do today.”
Gerard has been single for the past year after a two-year relationship, and is now looking to find a “a girl with a lot of confidence” and “self-esteem”.
“There is nothing worse than a girl who is here there and everywhere. I want a girl who is grounded, more so that than anything else.”
Australia’s second season of Love Island is set to premiere on Monday, with Sophie Monk returning as the Channel Nine show’s host.
After the 2018 season was filmed in Spain, this year’s contestants will be looking for love a bit closer to home in tropical Fiji.
Five female and five male contestants will couple up in the villa before trouble comes knocking as intruders arrive.
Irish radio star and actor, Eoghan McDermott, will once again narrate the show with his signature wit. At the end one winning couple, as voted by the public, is given a pot of money to start their lives together. However, there’s a catch as one person is given the option of sharing the money or keeping it for themselves.
Love Island premieres on Monday at 8:45pm on Channel Nine.