Former silver medalist gymnast Florica Leonida is a prostitute now
A former Romanian gymnast has been exposed as a high-class prostitute who gave up her sporting career “to make ends meet”.
Former world silver medalist Florica Leonida, 27, says she was forced to give up her career as a gymnastics coach to work in a brothel because her salary was not covering her bills.
Ms Leonida, who operates under the pseudonym Sascha Brown, is said to earn nearly $3000 a night.She sends about half of her earnings to her family in Romania.
She represented her country on numerous times and won medals for her skills.
A former silver world medalist and silver European medalist she also won gold on the beam and three silver medals at the 2002 Junior European Championships.
But after giving up the gymnastics, Florica, who is also known to friends as Floarea, became a prostitute in Germany before moving to neighbouring Austria.
She works in the sex industry under a different name, currently residing with another girl in a Viennese brothel.
In Germany she earned between 7,000-8,000 Euros (£5,600 – 6,400) per week although in Austria it is likely to be less.
In the photos on the brothel website, Florica covers her eyes so she will not be recognised. She changed her name after Romanian media found out about her recently and now operates under the pseudonym Sascha Brown.
Daily Mail reports that Florica Leonida, 27, from the Romanian capital Bucharest, says she gave up a further career in gymnastics where she would have earned a few hundred Euros a month as a coach to work for the world’s oldest profession instead.