Who is John Benton? Celebrity model trainer secretly filmed clients in locker room
A fitness instructor known for training Victoria's Secret models and a Miss USA winner has reportedly been arrested for recording his clients in the locker room, according to police in North Texas.
Celebrity model trainer John Benton, who is reportedly famous for "making amazing strides in hip and waist reduction," was apprehended for filming models without consent. The 42-year-old, who touts himself as the "official trainer" of the Miss Dallas and Miss Dallas Teen pageants, was taken into custody on a charge of invasive recording, according to court records obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
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Who is John Benton?
Benton claims to be the top name in the celebrity model trainers' circle, especially due to his hip reduction and weight loss training. Aside from advertising his size-zero client list, the trainer's website and Instagram page ironically sold his fitness classes as a way to avoid "that gym creeper guy." However, authorities have alleged that's exactly who he was. “All my clients can do my workouts from home if they want so they can avoid that gym creeper guy that is in every gym,” he reportedly said in an interview with The Bridal Journey.
Benton's website describes him as the "hips whisperer" and “a highly sought after Personal Trainer in the fashion, film, and pageant industries in Dallas” who is “known for making amazing strides in hip and waist reduction.” Displaying a portfolio of his clients who have lost a number of inches from their waists, Benton boasts of himself as the official trainer of Miss Dallas and Miss Dallas Teen aspirants. In 2017, Harper's Bazaar reported that several budding models were flying to Dallas to train with him.
John Benton Model Fitness's Instagram account frequently shared photos of its clients, said to range from Miss USA 2018, Miss Dallas 2020, Victoria’s Secret models, as well as everyday women documenting their weight loss journey in their underwear. However, Benton's eponymous business will likely have to rebrand itself after issuing a statement Thursday, September 30, that he was "stepping away" effective immediately.
“Our clients, their respect, and their safety are of the utmost importance to us at JB Model Fitness,” the company wrote on Instagram. “With that, given the recent allegations and this ongoing legal matter, the founder is stepping away from the business effective immediately. We take this matter very seriously.”
The account also informed followers that all classes will be paused for the time being. “We take this matter very seriously, and we are immediately pausing all classes and consultations until we determine how to best continue to serve our clients,” the statement continued. “Should clients want to take advantage of the online pre-recorded workout videos, they can still do so. We are evaluating all parts of the business, operations, and the brand to determine what changes we will make going forward, but know that our sole commitment is to our clients and supporting them however best we can during this unfolding situation,” it added.