Exclusive: "Trainer To The Stars" Has Shady Past

She is the woman responsible for Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna’s “buff bodies” but celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson is a lady with a very shady past, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.

Paltrow has reportedly bank-rolled the Tracy Anderson Method Studio in trendy Tribeca, New York, amid reports that the pair are struggling to recruit members to their pricey private gym.

The last time Anderson had similar problems at her Pilates studio in Fisher’s Crossing, Indiana, she simply placed a yellow sticker on the door saying the studio was shut for maintenance -- but she never returned leaving her clients in the lurch. Anderson was subsequently sued by several clients and by a former landlord for $450,000. She filed bankruptcy to avoid payment.

The toned blonde was jailed briefly in December 2006 for failing to pay on another outstanding ruling and was she also sued for $100,000 by a former student and the Indiana Consumer Protection Agency launched a probe into her financial dealings in mid 2007 on a recommendation of The Indiana Attorney General’s Office.

Before opening her new NY gym last month, the trainer made mega-bucks being on Madonna’s payroll where she traveled to the star’s homes in London, Miami, New York and Los Angeles, to make sure that she was in tip-top condition at all times.

Commenting on Anderson’s unusual techniques Paltrow said: “It's fun because it's not like you're running mindlessly on a treadmill. I guess she learned how to make the muscles do certain things -- it actually works. It's not like you're chasing this dream."

Paltrow and Anderson have appeared on Oprah showing off their stealthy moves but its understood that the economic downturn has hit their new business venture.

Prospective NY members -- who must be approved by the owners -- have to stump up a reported $4500 just to join plus hefty monthly fees.

A spokesperson at The Tracy Anderson Studios in LA said: “We have various packages available but for LA it is $575 per month for three months – New York is much more expensive and you must contact them via e-mail.”

Paltrow and Anderson are both on the homepage of the Tracy Anderson Method Studio website which has dozens of photographs of the scantily clad athletic dynamo.