Dinah Lee feels accepted as a sportswoman

Press, 3 November 1984, Page 6

Dinah Lee feels accepted as a sportswoman

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney The 1960 s singing star, - Dinah Lee, who won a bodybuilding championship in August, believes she has * now been accepted as a sportswoman. The latest proof has come in the form of an invitation to the unveiling in Sydney of a new fitness exercise concept, which its promoters claim will revolutionise the fitness industry. The former New Zealander said that several top sportsmen and sportswomen had been invited to the launching, and she had also been asked to attend. “There has been a lot of interest in me since I won the body-building competition, but this is the first time I have been asked to go along to one of these,” she said. “I am pleased because I feel it is recognising me as a sportswoman rather a showbusiness personality.” The singer, aged 41, was a surprise entry in the Australian body-building championship in late August and silenced the sceptics by winning the section for women over 35. She Said at the time that, she had become interested in body building while ex-

ercising to keep fit for her continuing singing work, and once she had become involved had lost 10kg weight in three months. She is now working on a book on body building for women and expects to have it in with her publisher by early next year. “As far as I can see there are plenty of books on women exercising and aerobics and such, but there are none on women in weighttraining," she said. “The sport is something I would like to get into more, especially in the area of seminars.”