SHE was one of the biggest glamor models in the UK, famous for falling out of clubs drunk, wearing next to nothing and partying most nights of the week.

But life could not be more different for Jodie Marsh now that she has shunned the limelight to run an animal sanctuary – Fripps Farm, in Chelmsford, Essex.

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Since opening in 2020, the farm has snowballed, and the 34-year-old now cares for around 350 animals, including meerkats, sheep, emus, birds, bunnies and even a baby deer.

Dressed in a baggy T-shirt, long pants and muddy things, she jokes: “You might recognize me as someone who used to be glamorous, sexy, a bodybuilder and everything, but now I’m just a farm girl and I look ‘ a mess.”

For her first tell-all interview in seven years, Jodie sits down with us in what used to be her gym, where the walls are covered with posters of Jodie’s favorite photo shoots from over the years, many of which are topless.

But her gym equipment is buried there, and as we talk a deer and a lamb trot in and out.

Jodie says most nights she doesn’t get to bed until 02:00 – not because she’s on the lash, but because she looks after her animals. Then she is up again at dawn to feed them.

She tells us: “The reason I’m fat now and don’t have a six pack is because I don’t have time to eat properly or even do the grocery shopping. Not ever.

“I used to cook healthy meals and no longer have time for that.

“I’m not working out at the moment either. I don’t have time. It’s manic.”

‘Life is too short’

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It was Jodie’s mother, Kristina who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2020, who was the driving force for Jodie to tackle the Showbiz world and realize her dream of running an animal sanctuary.

She explains: “All my life I said I would have an animal sanctuary when I retired.

“I always kept thinking when the time is right, when I retire, when I have enough money.

“But then my mother got sick and I realized life is so short, why don’t I do what I want to do now?

“So I just went, ‘F**k it, I’m doing it.’ And I started and it snowballed, and now we’re here with 350 animals.”

The reason I’m fat now and don’t have a six pack is because I don’t have time to eat properly or even do the grocery shopping. not ever

Jodie Marshall

Unfortunately, Kristina died in September 2020, just months after Jodie opened the sanctuary, so she never got the chance to see it grow.

But Jodie, who reveals her mum was the mastermind behind her infamous diamond belt outfit, says: “My mum was my best friend. She would be proud. 100 percent

“She herself loved animals, and she was proud of the fact that I am so passionate and fight for what I believe in.

“So the fact that I am now doing what I was always meant to do, I know she will be so happy for me. I just hope she looks down and can see it all.”

‘horny emu’

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It’s clear that Jodie is in her element as she takes us around the farm and introduces us to her many animals.

As she opens the gate, the horny emu Pam tries it with her.

It’s terrifying to watch, but Jodie casually admits it happens “for two weeks of every month.”

Noisy turkeys run up to us, including one named Damon, and Jodie informs us that this is their way of talking.

“It’s Damon showing you off and saying, ‘How handsome am I?'” she adds.

My mother got sick and I realized life is so short, why don’t I do what I want to do now?

Jodie Marshall

The pen next door contains sheep that are more like giant dogs, who lick Jodie’s hand and snuggle up to us for cuddles.

“That’s Klaus,” said Jodie, pointing to a particularly woolly one. “I saved him and his brother from slaughter when he was a baby and bottle-fed him, so he thinks I’m his mother.”

Jodie has six sheep on the farm, and takes care of all of them from their babies.

“They still think I’m their mother,” she says. “They are very loving and affectionate, they know they are safe here. They know they are loved and cared for, so they all walk right up to you. They think you’re a friend, they’re just happy.”

There are also three lambs that were recently rescued from a slaughterhouse, and a baby Muntjac goat that was rescued after falling into a pool.

The deer has yet to be named – we suggest Bambi.

RSPCA drive

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Jodie was devastated when Fripps Farm was raided by the RSPCA recently, after taking her pet meerkat Mabel to the pub.

Jodie claims it stems from a troll targeting her.

She remembers the incident and says: “They looked around the center and asked about the meerkat incident.

“I explained that she was orphaned, I raised her and she needed regular feeding every hour.

“I went to my local pub shortly and took her because she cried when I left her.

“No one made a fuss or complained. Everyone is very supportive, but I have a troll who is out to cause trouble.”

Jodie also slammed officers for investigating claims an emu had a tube down its neck – explaining it was a life-saving feeding tube.

Jodie was vindicated after RSPCA spoke to a vet who visits the farm every two weeks to check on the animals, and was satisfied there was no neglect or abuse at Fripps Farm.

We were introduced to both Mabel and the emu, and it was clear that they were both very happy.

Fan funding only

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Jodie is now looking forward to the future as she is about to move to a new, larger farm 20 minutes away from the current site in Chelmsford.

She says: “We’re going to have more help with the animals and it’s going to be a much better set-up.

“There is so much more land, which means that I can give all the animals more space and save more animals in the future.”

Jodie needs to raise £100,000 to finish building all the new camps.

Currently, most of the funds for the farm come from OnlyFans – on which Jodie sometimes goes completely bare – but she says the money “goes out as fast as it comes in”.

She says: “We do get a lot of money from OnlyFans, but every cent of it goes into Fripps.

“Our vet bills are probably £10,000 a month at the moment, and vet bills aside, it costs four rand a week to run this place!”

Despite this, Jodie says she is the happiest she has ever been.

She concludes: “I can’t explain the joy I feel every single day of my life, the satisfaction, the feeling of contentment, just knowing that I’m doing something good.

“I’m doing what I should have always done, 100 percent.”

She adds through tears: “The only sadness in my life is that my mother is not here to see it. It kills me.

“But she would be really proud.”

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