Former Biggest Loser star Ajay Rochester, 53, says she is completely broke and is struggling to return to the US, where she lived for over a decade before the pandemic.
The once award-winning TV star now works as an airtasker, completing chores to raise money for a flight back to Los Angeles.
Airtasker is a Sydney based company that outsources mundane tasks such as cleaning, accounting, bricklaying and driving.
Former Biggest Loser star Ajay Rochester, 53, says she is completely broke and is struggling to return to the US, where she lived for over a decade before the pandemic
Ajay put aside her career as casting director during the Covid pandemic and flew back to Sydney to be with her son Kai.
She is now struggling to complete her US visa – while the American embassy in Sydney remains closed, earlier this month she had to use her last savings to fly to Fiji to complete her green card paperwork.
“I’m broke,” Ajay told the Daily Telegraph’s Confidential.
“I’ve been living on all my savings for the past few years because I’ve been literally stuck in Australia and my work is in America.
“You feel like you’re a loser paying check after check… it’s expensive and the money’s gone.
“There’s broke, like living in a tent, and there’s broke, like in I paid two rents broke. But broke is broke.”
In 2009 she moved to the USA for a fresh start.
But in 2020, after living in Los Angeles for more than a decade, the former Biggest Loser host flew back to Australia after becoming so fed up with lockdown in the United States.
“I’ve spent 10 months locked in my apartment like a self-imposed prisoner terrified of this virus while millions of others are doing what they want and it just got out of hand,” she told the Daily Telegraph at the time.
Ajay put aside her career as casting director during the Covid pandemic and flew back to Sydney to be with her son Kai. She is pictured at Taronga Zoo last November
“I just knew I had to go. I had this gut feeling. People here don’t realize how lucky they are.”
Leaving her life in America was not easy for Ajay, who had to deal with a lot of bureaucracy before she was allowed to leave the country.
It took her three months to find a way home due to the strict Covid-19 restrictions.
“In the end I came home so I’m one of the lucky ones as there are so many who weren’t so lucky,” said the mother-of-one.
“I’m broke,” Ajay said. “I’ve been living off all my savings for the last few years because I’ve been literally stuck in Australia and my work is in America.”
In 2021, Ajay announced she’s following in Rebel Wilson’s footsteps after taking inspiration from the actress’ “Year of Health.”
Last year, she shared an Instagram post describing her efforts along with a photo of herself post-workout.
“Over the past week I’ve made some major changes, so I’ve swapped out my white bread for soy castles (sorry folks, keto isn’t for me),” she began.
It comes after Ajay revealed she’s following in Rebel Wilson’s footsteps, having been inspired by the actress’ ‘Year of Health’.
“My house does NOT have lollipops and yes the sugar withdrawal symptoms are real, I’ve substituted with fruit or small protein snacks (e.g. jerky), instituted TABATA training (no joke), increased my water intake, Brookfarm gluten free granola and Greek ate yoghurt for Breakky and above all – zero alcohol!’ She continued.
Tabata is a type of HIIT workout that involves eight 20-second rounds of strenuous exercise followed by 10-second rest.
“I don’t know what I weigh as I don’t have a scale and that’s not important at the moment. Exercising, making healthier choices, and feeling better about yourself is key to getting more exercise,” she continued.
“I lost a few days due to a bad back, which gets easier as I get lighter. Don’t worry about what you can’t do, focus on what you can.”
Months earlier she said she was planning to shed the pounds she had gained following a lockdown health crisis. “It’s time to get my health and fitness back! If Rebel Wilson can do it, so can I!’ She wrote alongside a selfie of her in the hospital. 
Ajay (pictured left in 2007 and right in 2020) announced that she plans to shed the pounds she gained in lockdown following a health crisis
Ajay explained that she ended up in the ER for an electrocardiogram after her heart started fluttering, causing her blood pressure to rise and causing her to panic.
‘I’m doing well. My EKG was normal but it was so scary that I woke up and got serious. So to MY year of health!’ She wrote.
Speaking to Chron Australia, Ajay said she was shocked to discover how tall she was after seeing photos of herself snorkeling and swimming.
She explained that she ended up in the emergency room for an electrocardiogram after her heart started fluttering and her blood pressure rose
‘I looked at myself and said, ‘S**t a little bit bigger than I thought it was’ and I was quite shocked and and a little scared for my health.’
“It was really like, ‘Oh my god, holy shit. What happened?” I think, well, you know, quarantine happened and I don’t know what happened. I lost the plot.
“I was so inspired by Rebel’s weight loss. I thought all the fat girls around me were getting skinny. Mama June (Here Comes Honey Boo Boo) lost weight and now Rebel has lost all the weight.
“I looked at myself and said, ‘Fuck it, a little bit bigger than I thought’ and I was quite shocked and a little scared for my health,” she told the Chron Australia.
Ajay went on to say that she didn’t want to be the “last fat girl standing.”
“I was literally at the top of Rebel’s Instagram and she was doing it like the stairs at the opera house with her hot trainer. I think, well, I’ll do the stairs,” she laughed.
“I will follow in their footsteps and declare this year my health year.”
Ajay hosted the weight loss show The Biggest Loser from 2006 to 2009 before moving to the United States.
Her last TV appearance was on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2019, but she’s mainly working behind the scenes now.
Ajay, who hosted the weight loss show The Biggest Loser from 2006 to 2009, relocated to the United States in 2009