Kelly Brook (born November 23, 1979 in Rochester) is an English model, actress, and occasional swimwear designer and television presenter.
After leaving school in Rochester, Brook studied at the Italia Conti stage school in London for three years before becoming a professional model.
Brook’s modeling career began at 16 after winning a beauty competition, her early work was in a range of advertising campaigns, including for the new “Bravissimo” company that specializes in bras and lingerie for big breasted women, and for Foster’s beer. Brook is 5 feet, 6 inches (168 cm) tall, and her voluptuous figure caught the eye of the editorial team of the Daily Star who began featuring her as a Page Three girl.
She then appeared in a Pulp video “Help the Aged’ with Huck Whitney of the cult band The Flaming Stars, in a slow dance sequence.
Brook’s picture soon began appearing in other lad mags such as FHM (repeatedly landing in its list of the “100 Sexiest Women of the Year”) and Loaded. She topped the ‘FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005’ list, which was said to have polled 15 million people. In a poll over 5,000 women in April 2005 for Grazia magazine she was considered to have the best British female body. She ranked 5th at ‘FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006′ list.
Brook has also done a large amount of commercial swimwear, sportswear, and hosiery modelling, and a limited amount of nude & semi-nude modelling. Some modelling work for Triumph Bras caused quite a stir because of specially commissioned 50-foot high billboards of Brook’s bust.
In 2005, Brook shot a ten page, mostly nude black and white portfolio with photographer David Bailey. The shoot featured in British design magazine November 2005 issue of Arena magazine.
In 2006, she released successful ranges of swimwear and lingerie at New Look stores nationwide.
In February 2007, it was announced that Kelly had signed a contract, reported to be worth £1m, to be the new face and body of Unilever’s Lynx body spray, known as Axe in the US and on continental Europe. Kelly has been on billboards, in newspapers and online as part of the advertising campaign.
In 1997, still barely 18, Brook started getting work presenting youth television programmes on MTV, Granada and Trouble TV.
Brook had a breakthrough into mainstream presenting in January 1999 when she was chosen to replace Denise van Outen as the female half of The Big Breakfast presenting team, alongside Johnny Vaughan. Brook’s tenure was not a success. Some say she failed to recreate the on-screen chemistry that van Outen had achieved with Vaughan, while others commented she was perfect for the job, and that it was time in fact, that Vaughan left the show. After some some debate, she decided to leave the show in July, 1999.
Brook picked up roles presenting for MTV again. In 2005 she presented the reality television programme Celebrity Love Island for ITV.
Kelly Brook has appeared in minor roles in a string of movies including Sorted and Ripper. She played the girlfriend of Clark Kent/Superman’s best friend Lex Luthor in four episodes of Warner Bros.’ Smallville during the show’s first season (2001-2002). She has also completed assignments as a movie actress in Canada and made a short appearance as Lyle’s girlfriend in the 2003 movie The Italian Job. In 2004 she played character Nikki Morris in the video game Need for Speed Underground 2, alongside Brooke Burke. Brook’s first starring role was in School for Seduction, a 2004 film.
In 2005 she appeared in the Philippe Vidal film House of 9, a thriller about nine seemingly unconnected strangers captured and locked in a house together. The people are forced to compete against one another, in order to survive.
She recently starred in a Marple drama on ITV. She caused a minor controversy over her most recent film Survival Island (previously known as Three), in which she co-starred with fiancé Billy Zane, when Brook and Zane requested her nude scenes be excised from the final cut, which the producers refused to do.
In December 2000 she played lap dancer Anya in the play Eye Contact at the Riverside Theatre in Hammersmith, a role that gathered considerable tabloid publicity as the finale of the show involved Brook stripping naked.
On September 13, 2007 it was announced that Brook is participating in the 2007 celebrity dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1 with professional ballroom dance partner Brendan Cole. During the series, her father Kenneth died from cancer, and although originally deciding to continue with the show, she later withdrew from the competition.
For her initial lingerie shoots with Bravissimo in 1997, Kelly’s bra size wa 32E, and she remained at this size for many years. During her time on Strictly Come Dancing Kelly experienced growth of her breasts by a couple of sizes, she has been quoted saying “I’ve grown to a 30FF, my boobs are under my chin”. Since turning 30, Kelly has gained weight – in July 2012 she admitted to being 1 stone (14lbs) heavier than during her twenties, and gained a further 10lb over winter 2012/3, consequently her shape has become ever more voluptuous. Although there has been no recent confirmation of Kelly’s measurements or bra size, there is no doubt that in August 2013 Kelly’s breasts are at their largest ever size. Most lingerie bloggers now suspect Kelly requires an H cup bra.
