Kelly Brook

Kelly Brook (DOB 23rd November 1979) is a well known model, television presenter and also now becoming more than an occasional actress.

Studying at the famous Italia Conti stage school in London for three years, she went onto to become a professional model after she left.

Modelling

Kelly Brook's modelling career began at the tender age of 16. Her early work included a range of advertising campaigns including bras and lingerie for big-breasted women and also for Foster's beer.

After some initial exposure, her eye catching figure caught the attention of the Daily Star newspaper and it wasn't long till Kelly Brook began featuring topless as a Page Three girl.

From there Kelly went on to feature heavily in a selection of the 'lad mags' such as FHM. She repeatedly graced the list of the "100 Sexiest Women of the Year" and even topped the 2005 list.

Understandably Kelly Brook has also done a large amount of commercial swimwear, sportswear, and hosiery modelling, and a limited amount of nude & semi-nude modeling.

In 2005, Brook posed for a ten-page, partially-nude black-and-white photo spread with the photographer David Bailey. The results were featured in the British design magazine Arena, the November 2005 issue.

Presenter

In 1997, at just 18, Brook started getting work presenting programmes on MTV, Granada Television, and the Trouble TV channel.

Her breakthrough into mainstream consciousness came in 1999 when she attempted to replace the seemingly irreplaceable Denise van Outen as the female half of The Big Breakfast hosting team.

Having built up such an on screen chemistry with fellow presenter Johnny Vaughan, Denise Van Outen's departure and Kelly Brook's arrival was of much trivial public debate.

With big shoes to fill and the subsequent ending of the show, Kelly never really got the chance to see if she could replace Van Outen.

Regardless, she picked up more roles presenting for MTV and in 2005, she hosted the "reality" television programme Celebrity Love Island for ITV.

Actress

Kelly Brook the actress has become more of a regular thing over time and she has appeared in minor roles in a string of movies including Sorted and Ripper.

She also played the girlfriend of Clark Kent/Superman's best friend Lex Luthor in four episodes of Warner Brothers' Smallville during the show's first season (2001 - 2002).

More roles followed including the remake of The Italian Job and she has recently starred in a Marple drama on ITV.

Theatrical work

In December 2000 she played the exotic dancer Anya in the play "Eye Contact" at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, a role that gathered some tabloid publicity since the finale of the show involved her going topless.

Strictly Come Dancing

In 2007 Brook participated in the celebrity dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1. During the TV series, her father Kenneth Parsons died from cancer, and although she initially decided to continue dancing on the show, she soon withdrew from the competition.

Personal life

After ending a long term relationship with Jason Statham, Brook met American actor Billy Zane while filming thriller Survival Island in Greece in 2004. Proposing to wed in Summer 2008 and having bought a farmhouse in Kent, after the death of her father in November 2007 Brook kept putting the date back, until the couple split in April 2008.