Two months after making her debut as a trainer on The Biggest Loser, tennis pro Anna Kournikova is stepping down from the popular NBC series.
Kournikova, 30, confirmed in a statement Monday that she will not be returning for the show’s 13th season.
“I enjoyed my time on the Biggest Loser ranch. Although I will not be returning as a full time trainer on season 13, I will always be a part of The Biggest Loser family and my commitment to bettering lives through health and fitness will continue,” Kournikova told Us Weekly.
Replacing Jillian Michaels for season 12, Kournikova reportedly made waves behind the scenes. The Hollywood Reporter reports, a source called the trainer “a nightmare” and argued that she did not sympathize with her overweight clientele.
“It wasn’t the right fit for her,” a Biggest Loser insider confirmed. “[Her exit] was a mutual decision.”
Also exiting “The Biggest Loser” is Cheryl Forberg, the longtime off-camera dietary architect for the NBC reality series, she told TheWrap Monday.
Forberg, a best-selling nutrition author who has served as a registered dietitian for the show since its launch in 2004, said she’s looking for an on-camera career.
“I was there from the beginning. I’ve been with the show for 12. I co-wrote the eating plan, but I want to be on camera. That’s part of the reason why I left,” Forberg said.
Forberg, who is now sponsored by New Zealand-based appliance maker Fisher and Pykel to produce a cooking show out of her own kitchen, said her departure from the show is unrelated to trainer and former tennis pro Anna Kournikova’s decision to leave the series.
