THE RISE & FALL OF JENNY CRAIG

This suburban business became a weight-lossempire despite controversies and scandal

If it wasn't for a New Orleans couple looking for a midlife adventure in 1983, the world may never have known the name Jenny Craig or the weight-loss empire she founded Downunder.

The billion-dollar idea came about after Louisiana-born former dental hygienist Jenny Craig, a divorced mum of two daughters, met fitness entrepreneur Sidney Craig in 1970, when she was working at one of his weight-loss centres.

They fell in love and decided to join forces. Together, they built his Body Contour company into a booming business, with 140 centres in the States, before selling it on the condition they didn't open a rival business in the US for two years.

CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT

With the now-married couple cashed-up and both aged 50, they decided to move to Melbourne, where they opened the very first Jenny Craig centre. The mix of pre-packaged, low-calorie meals and one-on-one counselling proved to be a smash hit.

"I'm sure there were a lot of people who would not be willing to take that risk, but we knew we would be successful," Jenny said in a 2019 interview.