Elizabeth Smart on 'terrifying' bodybuilding debut, is 'proud' of journey

May 4, 2026, 12:18 p.m. ETElizabeth Smart shed some light on her bodybuilding journey in a new interview with CBS News, calling it "terrifying" but also gratifying.The former child abduction survivor revealed in an Instagram photo posted Tuesday, April 21, that she has begun competing in bodybuilding competitions.Smart acknowledged the shocking transformation in her caption."When I posted the pictures in my story of me standing on stage in a bikini it probably shocked many of you, and I understand the shock because had you asked me if I would ever compete in a bodybuilding show a couple of years ago I would have said, 'absolutely not! Never in 100 years!'" Smart, 38, wrote.Smart told "CBS Mornings" host Gayle King on May 4 she'd been training for marathons for awhile when her knees began to bother her. A trainer (and current coach) reached out to her and asked her if she'd be interested in working out together again, and Smart said she was looking for a goal to help motivate her. She told her coach she wanted to try body building."It was terrifying," Smart added of standing in a bikini at her first bodybuilding competition. "It was absolutely terrifying." Her modest