Jillian Michaels biography

On the show, Michaels has earned a reputation as a tough, drill sergeant-style trainer who does not hesitate to use fear as a motivation tactic. But despite her tough-as-nails TV persona, Michaels insists, "I really don't have a mean bone in my body! Do you know how easy it would be to tell people what they want to hear? It would be heaven! But, unfortunately, it doesn't get the job done." The Biggest Loser has run for nine seasons and become a wildly popular program,

transforming Michaels into one of America's most famous fitness experts.

Fitness Empire

In 2010, Michaels launched a second weight loss-themed NBC reality show, Losing It With Jillian. On each episode, Michaels lives with a different family for one week while teaching them how to transform their unhealthy lifestyles. As she describes the show, "I'm in your marriage, I'm going to school with your kids. I'm, like, in the middle of everything." Michaels says her goal for the show is to demonstrate that she's more than just a hard-nosed personal trainer. "I want to get out a bigger message ... there's more to me, there's more to what I do."

In 2011, Michaels began a short stint as co-host of the CBS show The Doctors. She left the show in early 2012, after just half a season.

Propelled by The Biggest Loser and Losing It With Jillian, Michaels has created a health and fitness empire that includes books, DVDs and video games. She is the author of five books: Winning by Losing (2007), Making the Cut (2008), Master Your Metabolism (2009), The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook (2010) and The Master Your Metabolism Calorie Counter (2010). She has also released a variety of workout DVDs and even a fitness-themed video game, Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum, available for Nintendo Wii.

Personal Life

Michaels is currently in a relationship with a woman, Heidi Rhoades, but has stated that she is open to dating both men and women. Of her love life, Michaels has said, "Let's just say I believe in healthy love. If I fall in love with a woman, that's awesome. If I fall in love with a man, that's awesome. As long as you fall in love ... it's like organic food. I only eat healthy food, and I only want healthy love!"

Michaels and Rhoades welcomed two children into their family in 2012: Rhoades gave birth to their son, Phoenix Michaels Rhoades, on May 3, 2012, and around the same time, they adopted a daughter, Lukensia Michaels Rhoades. "Seeing my two kids together is a magical feeling," Michaels stated in an interview with People magazine. "Motherhood changes your DNA. My kids are now an integral part of who I am."

With two hit TV shows and an ever-expanding array of popular books, DVDs and video games, Michaels has become one of the most popular faces of fitness in America. Still, she has her sights set on making an impact beyond just exercise and entertainment. Asked about her goals for the future in a recent interview, Michaels spoke ambitiously about wanting to change the entire world. "I would like to win a Nobel Prize," she said. "In a perfect world I'd like to get to that place where I walk away from everything. And then I can be pure Bill Gates. Cure smallpox. I want to turn around and be like, 'I cured smallpox. How about those apples?' You know what I mean? Or, like, 'I reversed global warming. How 'bout that?'"

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