The crazy story of Verona van de Leur, the gymnast who turned to adult content

At one point, Verona van de Leur was one of the best gymnasts in Europe, not long after that, she was penniless and took to the dark world of pornography in an attempt to pay the bills. Here is her story.

Verona van de Leur was born in Gouda, the Netherlands in 1985 and began training to be a gymnast aged just five. By nine, she began to train with Pro Patria in Zoetermeer, per Sports Illustrated.

Van de Leur’s talent was obvious, winning the Dutch National Championship in 2000 and multiple junior championships in the same year.

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2002 saw van de Leur’s career reach new heights, winning the World Cup for floor exercise and finishing second in the team event, the vault, and the all-around competitions at the European Championships, per Sports Illustrated.

Her performances in 2002 made her a household name in her home nation, as she was anointed the Dutch Sportswoman of the Year award.

Speaking to The Sun, van de Leur said, “When you're not on the podium you get all the hate and being told you're not good enough. Then it became an obsession, not just for me but for everyone around me,” this included her parents who remained in charge of her finances during her breakout years.

The Dutch gymnast also told The Sun, “You get sponsors, contracts and it's a big deal for everyone. You have to start pleasing everyone.” Unfortunately, that would prove impossible.

Unbeknownst to Verona, her father had taken thousands of dollars of her money and gambled it away during a visit to Las Vegas. Her description of events to The Sun paint a harsh picture of her parents’ decisions, “For me, nothing changed, it was the same school, same training but I know my parents had a better life.”

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2008 saw van de Leur retire from gymnastics and enter into a lawsuit against her parents, who had spent much of career earnings. She told The Sun, “knew there was a lot wrong then I realised all the money I should have had was spent… You look back to the gymnastics and all the pushing and what is important. Was it for your daughter or just the bank account?”

The former World Cup winner won her legal battle against her parents, netting an £81,000 ($105,000/€96,000) payout, per The Guardian.

Despite the payout, van de Leur’s life continued to spiral, with little by way of income, she was forced to sleep in her car and shoplift in an attempt to get by.

Image: @veronagymnast2 Instagram

In a desperate attempt to earn some money, the former gymnast attempted to blackmail a couple who were having an affair. She described the incident to The Sun, “The blackmail just kind of overcame me. I was just taking pictures and it happened in front of me. I just confronted this woman and when she asked if I was blackmailing her I said 'yes and I want some money for it'.”

Image: @veronagymnast2 Instagram

She continues by describing how the woman she was attempting to blackmail took her license plate and description to the police. She was soon arrested and convicted of blackmail, and was punished with 72 days in jail.

Image: @veronagymnast2 Instagram

Van de Leur told The Guardian, “Within 24 hours [of her trial] everything was cancelled, Then you have to start over. But it’s hard to actually start over if society doesn’t accept you.”

Image: @veronagymnast2 Instagram

Following her trial and conviction, the 2002 Dutch Sportswoman of the Year was approached to enter the world of adult content. Eventually, she accepted, participating in adult content films and working as a 'cam-girl'. She told The Guardian, “For me, it was an opportunity to make something from my life, to build something.”

Image: @veronagymnast2 Instagram

Van de Leur eventually set up her own adult content studio, working only with her boyfriend and hiring other actors to participate in scenes. She worked in the industry until 2019 when she quit adult content altogether with her aim to force the spotlight on the treatment of young gymnasts. The Guardian reports the Larry Nassar case proved pivotal in her move to advocacy.

Image: @veronagymnast2 Instagram

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