Kelly Brook (born Kelly Ann Parsons in Rochester, Kent, England, on 23 November 1979(1979-11-23)) is an English model, actress, occasional swimwear designer and television presenter.
Early life
She is the daughter of Sandra, a cook, and Ken, a scaffolder. Ken Parsons died from cancer on 26 November 2007, during Brook's time on Strictly Come Dancing.1
Kelly attended The Thomas Aveling School in Warren Wood, Rochester, Kent. She then studied at the Italia Conti stage school in London for three years before becoming a professional model.2
Modelling career
Brook's modelling career began at 16 after winning a beauty competition that her mother entered her in.3 Following this success she worked on a range of advertising campaigns, including for Foster's Lager, Renault Megane, Walkers crisps, Piz Buin and Bravissimo, a company that specialises in bras and lingerie for large-breasted women. Her voluptuous figure eventually caught the eye of the editorial team of the Daily Star tabloid4, which began featuring her as a Page Three girl.
Brook's picture soon began appearing in other lad mags such as GQ, Loaded and FHM. In April of the same year a poll over 5,000 women for Grazia magazine considered her to have the best British female body. She also topped the 'FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World' list in 2005, which was said to have polled 15 million people. She later ranked 5th in FHM's '100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006', 17th in 2007 and 34th in 2008.
Brook has also done a large amount of commercial swimwear, sportswear and hosiery modeling. Her work for Triumph bras caused quite a stir because of specially commissioned 50-foot (15 m) high billboard of Brook's bust, said to be the largest billboard in the world.3
In 2005, Brook posed for a ten-page, nude black-and-white photo spread for the photographer David Bailey, which appeared in the British design magazine Arena, in the November 2005 issue.
In 2006 she signed a contract, reported to be worth around £1m, to present Unilever's Lynx body spray, known as Axe in the US and in continental Europe. She has appeared on billboards, in newspapers, and on-line as part of an advertising campaign.5
She has also appeared in commercials for Sky + & T Mobile and most recently, modelled for Reebok.
Clothing range
In 2006, she introduced her own range of swimwear and lingerie at New Look stores in the United Kingdom.6
Television
Presenter
In 1997, aged eighteen, Brook started presenting youth television programs on MTV, Granada Television and the Trouble TV channel.2
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 hosting team, alongside Johnny Vaughan. She left the show in July, 1999. Reports claimed that she was sacked after a series of on air gaffes and problems reading and pronouncing polysyllabic words from the autocue machine. Following her departure she picked up roles presenting for MTV.
In 2005, she hosted the reality television program Celebrity Love Island for ITV.
Reality TV appearances
Strictly Come Dancing
In 2007 Brook participated in the celebrity dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1, for which her professional ballroom dance partner was Brendan Cole. During the TV series, her father Kenneth Parsons died from cancer,1 and although she initially decided to continue dancing in his memory, she withdrew from the competition in week nine.7
She also competed in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2008, dancing the Jive with Brian Fortuna, Brendan Cole having to compete with his later partner Lisa Snowdon. Brook and Fortuna received a ten from Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli, but a nine from Arlene Phillips, for a total of 39 points. Three other couples were also awarded 39 points so the head judge, Len Goodman, had to sort them into the top four places. Brook and Fortuna were put into fourth place, but with the studio audience's vote they came second to Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett.
Reality TV judge
In 2008, Brook took Jennifer Ellison's place as one of the three judges on the second series of the reality TV programme Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life,8 broadcast between September and November 2008.
In January 2009, she was to join the third series of Britain's Got Talent as a fourth judge, but was subsequently axed from the programme after less than a week on the panel, the producers having decided that the four-judge format was "too complicated".9 Brook was billed as a guest judge in the episode in which she appeared, taped in Manchester and aired on May 16.
Acting career
In 1997, she appeared in a Pulp video Help the Aged with Huck Whitney of the cult band The Flaming Stars, in a slow dance sequence.
Brook made her full screen debut with a minor role in the film Sorted, where she can be seen involved in a lesbian scene. Shortly thereafter she also appeared in the film 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.
Her first starring role was in School for Seduction, a 2004 film - she received positive reviews for her role, "Seduction offers a few twists on the rapidly degenerating format, not the least of which is the comely Brook in the lead role."10 In 2004 she also played character Nikki Morris in the video game Need for Speed Underground 2, alongside Brooke Burke. 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 caused a minor controversy in 2006 opposite Juan Pablo Di Pace whilst in the film Survival Island (also known as Three), also co-starring Billy Zane, who would later become her fiancé. Brook requested her nude scenes with Di Pace be excised from the final cut, which the producers refused to do.
In 2006, she also starred in a Marple drama on ITV and appeared as herself throughout the second series of Moving Wallpaper for ITV1, in 2009. She stars also in the Science-Fiction thriller Shadow Play who is directed by Nick Simon.11
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 featured her topless.12
In October 2008, she returned to the west end as Jeannie, in Neil LaBute's Fat Pig at London's Comedy Theatre. Although her performances have had mixed reviews, the Daily Mail said "Kelly Brook has a pencil waist and rabbit-thigh legs, but she is not a great interpreter of a role".13
In November 2009 she began playing Celia in Calendar Girls at the Noel Coward Theatre, a role previously played by Jerry Hall.
Personal life
Dated English actor Jason Statham for seven years before splitting in 2004. The couple lived together in Los Angeles and Herne Hill, south London.
Brook met American actor Billy Zane while filming thriller Survival Island in Greece in 2004. Brook and Zane were engaged to be married in the summer of 2008 and acquired a house in Kent, but Brook postponed the wedding upon the death of her father in November 2007. The couple split in April 2008 and briefly got back together before ending their relationship for good in August 2008.14
Brook has been dating Wasps rugby player Danny Cipriani since September 2008. 15.
Filmography
- Sorted (2000), Sarah
- Ripper (2001), Marisa Tavares
- Absolon (2003), Claire
- The Italian Job (2003), Lyle's Girlfriend
- School for Seduction (2004), Sophia Rosselini
- House of 9 (2005), Lea
- Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005), Beautiful Woman in Painting
- Survival Island (also known as Three) (2005), Jennifer
- In the Mood (short film) (2006), Eva
- Fishtales (2007), Neried
- Piranha 3-D (2010), Danni
Television movies
TV appearances
References
External links
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![Clip Kelly Brook fantasy scene in 05 comedy "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" with Rob Schneider. Video](/viewVideo.html?title=Kelly Brook in Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo&videoType=YouTube&summary=Kelly Brook fantasy scene in 05 comedy "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" with Rob Schneider.&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/OTuXkfg_tc0&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://1.gvt0.com/vi/OTuXkfg_tc0/default.jpg&celebrity=Kelly Brook)
&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/KinKFjEJsb8&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://3.gvt0.com/vi/KinKFjEJsb8/default.jpg&celebrity=Kelly Brook)
&videoType=YouTube&summary=Kelly Brook in scenes from "Absolon" ( 03), with Christopher Lambert.&link=http://www.youtube.com/v/Jucyr0Tp7Bo&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1&thumb=http://2.gvt0.com/vi/Jucyr0Tp7Bo/default.jpg&celebrity=Kelly Brook)
