A 61-year-old woman who overcame cancer on three separate occasions and transformed herself into an award-winning bodybuilder after relearning how to walk has passed away.

Joanne Morrison, a Brighton resident who went by Jo, lost her fight against illness on Friday, March 13 in Suffolk, having received news of two brain tumours in August 2025.

Prior to this third diagnosis, Jo had already beaten cancer twice during her lifetime.

At just 26 years old, she was found to have advanced cervical cancer and managed to make a complete recovery. During that period, she worked as a physical instructor in the Women’s Royal Army Corps.

She later developed a brain tumour when she reached the age of 43.

The emergency operation to remove the growth left her with epilepsy and significant weakness affecting the left side of her body, along with severe balance problems.

This was a devastating development for Jo, and she required two full years to regain the ability to walk unaided.

Once she had recovered, Jo relocated to Brighton where she established herself as a wellness advisor, helping others navigate major life transitions while maintaining healthy habits.

Through this role, she discovered a passion for bodybuilding and took part in numerous contests, securing victories in several of them.

She had no prior experience in such pursuits, but when she committed to something, she was utterly relentless, according to her close companion Janet O’Byrne.

Janet first encountered Jo a dozen years ago at Brighton’s Pride event, the two having been introduced by a shared acquaintance.

They hit it off immediately, Janet recalled. Suffering from two brain aneurysms herself, Janet often joked that they were brainy companions.

Both were recently single at that time and spent considerable time together, enjoying nights out, weekend meals and visits to Hickstead.

In addition to her coaching work, Jo authored a memoir documenting her health experiences titled Finding the Other Me, and pursued postgraduate studies in psychology and the neuroscience of mental wellbeing at King’s College London.

Jo, who embraced difficulty, was an avid sports enthusiast and maintained a daily gym routine.

She gained recognition for her freshly made juices, a hobby that earned her the affectionate moniker Juicy Jo among her circle.

Four years prior to her passing, Jo took a position at a distant overseas location in an effort to accumulate sufficient funds to purchase her first home.

Her employment followed a pattern of three months on followed by one month away. During her time off, Jo had freedom to explore wherever she wished, journeying extensively to Thailand, visiting siblings in Australia and Spain, and returning to Britain to see relatives and companions.

Jo had long aspired to own property and, after being charmed by Sicily during a summer break, committed to a deposit on a home there.

In August, Janet received troubling information from Jo.

Jo was scheduled to begin her month’s leave the following week and intended to finalise the Sicily property purchase, though she had observed that her leg was beginning to falter.

She returned immediately to Britain where medical imaging exposed a substantial brain tumour requiring urgent intervention.

Prior to her operation, further scanning uncovered a second growth, this one impossible to remove surgically.

Jo spent her remaining time at a residential care facility in Suffolk, close to her sister and the children of family members.

Having previously experienced similar circumstances, Jo understood precisely what lay ahead, Janet explained. She recognised she faced an extremely challenging battle.

It was a crushing blow. Just as she had saved sufficient funds and was about to obtain her first property, her life was poised to begin the following week.

Janet described her as extraordinary, noting that her will to survive was remarkable. Janet said she gave everything absolutely, that they would go dancing together and Jo would be laughing throughout. Janet described her as full of life, perpetually cheerful and a wonderful person, and said all who knew her adored her.