WHEN she lived in Reading, Suzanne Smith regularly made the headlines in the local press from the 1970s onwards for her outstanding sporting achievements.

As a youngster, she became a national springboard diving champion, and in her teens, the Westwood Girls School pupil won the first of several World Powerlifting titles.

When she set a new European and British bench-press record, it kept her name in the Guinness Book of Records for a decade.

It appeared she had everything going for her, but she has now revealed that was far from the case. Several dark secrets blighted her life, causing panic attacks and bouts of depression. She even thought about ending her life.

The mother of three sons had to overcome skin cancer and bulimia, plus the trauma of being raped, along with many unhealthy relationships.

Suzanne was desperate to change her life. She sold her house and moved to Devon, but later went travelling in a search to heal her fears and improve her lifestyle.

Her global travels took her to Israel, the beautiful island of Bali, France, Holland, Scotland and the United States.

"Money just kept coming to me without me even asking, which in itself was a miracle," she says.
Good fortune also came her way from different sources.

She met people who acted like guardian angels to her, offering sound wisdom and encouragement. They helped her to change the beliefs that were making her fearful. She felt that a loving power was taking care of her.

Her life was taking on a new look, and she decided to change her name from Suzanne Smith to Rosie-Maria Love.
And it is under that name that she has published her first book, called 'Love The Ultimate Freedom'.

It is full of deeply personal stories written with great honesty and humility. She writes in-depth about how she changed her beliefs and now lives most of the present time with joy and a sense of freedom.

Rosie-Maria explains how anyone can find happiness and peace by seeing things differently. She now dedicates her life to helping people overcome negative thought patterns and addictions.

"I wrote the book as I want to help others, hopefully giving people a new way of thinking and looking out on life," she told the Chronicle this week shortly after stepping out of the sea after her regular early-morning swim.

Now in her 60th year, Rosie-Maria has become an international workshop facilitator, a qualified Power of Clearing coach, a laughter yoga teacher and a breathwork coach.

She also has a great singing voice and talks about what she loves to sing in her book.
All those affected by negative thoughts in life need to read this book. It should prove a natural tonic to a brighter future, especially if you share the love.

* 'Love The Ultimate Freedom' by Rosie Maria Love is published by Wrate's Publishing and is available from Amazon. It is also available on the Waterstones website and will soon be on sale in the bookstores.

The book hit second place on Amazon's bestseller list in the first few days.

She can be contacted at rosiemaria@lovetheultimatefreedom.com or her
website www.lovetheultimatefreedom.com