My boobs were insured for £1m & I was the most famous woman in Britain, says Page 3 legend Samantha Fox
SAMANTHA FOX became one of the country’s most famous women almost overnight after her debut on Page 3.
She first graced the pages of The Sun in February 1983, and it led to her joining Margaret Thatcher and Princess Di as one of the decade’s most photographed females.
Her Page 3 career also became the launch pad to a world of lavish celebrity parties and later for her global success as a pop star, with 30million record sales.
Sam, 54, was the first girl to be signed by The Sun on an exclusive four-year deal. This meant she was used for all kinds of shoots.
Remembering her time on the iconic page as we celebrate today’s 50th anniversary of the first ever picture, she said: “I did Page 3 but also loads of fashion and swimwear shoots.
“I promoted Sun bingo and the paper even made pillow cases with my face on that readers could buy.
“One Saturday at a signing there were about 10,000 teenage boys who banged so hard on the windows to get in they broke them and rushed in. I had to escape with bodyguards in a helicopter from the roof.”
“My nan and grandad slept with them on their bed every night.”
Sam’s assets became so famous she even insured her boobs for £1million.
She said: “It was 500,000 each. My agent said, ‘If Betty Grable can insure her legs, you can insure your boobs’.
“It was a crazy time. Although I worked exclusively for The Sun I would be asked to open lots of big shops, go on chat shows, do autograph signings in department stores. Sometimes I was behind glass.
At the time, The Sun reported on Sam Fox superfan Chris Tiney, 25, who covered his house with pictures of the beauty.
It was only when he tried to replace his wedding photo with one of Sam that his wife put her foot down.
Sam said: “I think I was popular because I had a good figure, but I think lots of people liked me because when they heard me talking they realised I was just a working- class girl done good.
“I had a fan club and would get lots of letters from women actually asking me things like what shampoo and make-up I used and my skincare regime.”
Sam, born in Mile End, in London’s East End, was spotted by The Sun after she won a modelling competition. Her mum Carole accompanied her to her first shoot with Sun snapper Beverley Goodway.
She said: “I thought he was going to be a woman, but he was this ever-so-posh, lovely man who called me Samantha in his plummy accent.
“He was a great photographer, had the best lighting and took the best photographs. And at the end of shoots he always used to make me a jacket potato with tuna or beans so I had energy to set me up for the rest of the day.
“My mum would style my shoots for me and would always make me look classy, bringing along a huge array of glamorous accessories.
“I think that’s also the reason I got booked for so many other shoots, because they knew I would turn up with immaculate styling and accessories thanks to my mum.”
When Sam’s picture first appeared in the paper she was still at school — and was instantly expelled. Her dad John, a carpenter who later became her manager, confronted the headmaster and begged them to let her sit her exams.
She said: “He rang them up and told them I had worked so hard for years and in the end they let me back in to sit them.”
Page 3 fame brought with it a glamorous lifestyle, a whirlwind of VIP areas and red carpets.
One showbiz bash in particular sticks in Sam’s memory — and gave her fledgling music career a huge boost.
She said: “The most amazing party I ever went to was at Kensington Roof Gardens in London following a Queen gig at Wembley in 1986.
“They had naked women painted green in the lifts and everyone who was anyone at the time was there. Annie Lennox, Duran Duran, all the big music stars.
“I had just started my music career but some people were sceptical and didn’t believe it was me really singing.
“They didn’t know I had attended theatre school from a young age.
“Freddie Mercury pulled me up on stage at the party and we sang Tutti Frutti as a duet. It was on the front pages the next day and changed everything for me.
After that, people started to take me seriously for my music.”
WOMEN ON A MISSION
A BRAVE group of Page 3 girls flew to Afghanistan during the war there to support our troops.
Operation Desert Fox in 2008 saw Peta Todd, Becky Rule, Rhian Sugden and Sam Cooke hand out a special 16-page copy of The Sun to cheer up Our Boys. Major Rupert Lewis, of the British forces in Hel- mand, said: “The blokes were tickled pink.”
The mission is not the only time Page 3 stars have helped our troops.
Having become the first model to return to Page 3 after childbirth, Peta wanted to use her profile to aid others.
Peta, who had son Finn in 2006 as the war in Afghanistan raged, visited injured soldiers at Headley Court hospital in Surrey. She recalls: “I was 21. I found a place full of people my age or even younger who had seen and suffered the most horrific things.
“In May 2008 I was asked if I’d take part in Help For Heroes’ Big Battlefield Bike Ride through France. The aim was to make £10,000 – it raised £1million.”
Since then, Page 3 girls have regularly aided H4H. The Sun’s campaign encouraging women to check themselves for signs of breast cancer has also been boosted by our model stars.
In 2014 Rosie Jones and other Page 3 girls launched the campaign in partnership with charity CoppaFeel! which has since saved the lives of many women.
Sam retired from Page 3 in 1986 to pursue her pop career and had a huge worldwide hit that year with single Touch Me.
She went on to sell more than 30million records, broke America and still tours now.
Sam — who is in a relationship with Norwegian mum-of-two Linda Olsen, 45 — also writes music. She co-wrote a song for girl group All Saints in 2000.
Despite her huge success in music, Sam will always have fond memories of her days as a Page 3 girl and has no regrets.
She said: “When I did my last Page 3, the paper did a picture of a gravestone with the headline ‘Thanks for the mammaries’. It was genius.
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“So many girls nowadays have silicon boobs, but Page 3 was always about natural curves and the girl-next-door look.
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“I have no regrets about doing it and I want to thank The Sun for a fabulous career. I’ll always remember winning Page 3 Girl Of The Year three years running.
“Page 3 was a uniquely British institution and I am happy I put a smile on people’s faces.”
BREAST OF THE REST
HERE are some other famous names who graced Page 3 along with Sam.
JILLY JOHNSON and NINA CARTER: Seventies Page 3 superstar Jilly, 66, says: “Appearing on Page 3 opened so many doors for me. I appeared in adverts for Pretty Polly, Woodpecker Cider and Cadbury’s.”
In 1977, Australian-born Jilly formed the band Blonde On Blonde with Page 3 pal Nina. Nina, 68, from Solihull, Warks, said: “Page 3 was groundbreaking, risqué and exciting.”
Photographer David Bailey shot Nina for Vogue and she appeared in the movie An American Werewolf In London. She also ran an extras agency and is now a life coach.
Jilly wrote best-selling novels Double Exposure and Playing For Love, about modelling and showbiz. Four years ago, age 62, she modelled in a bikini for JD Williams.
GILLIAN de TERVILLE: Born in Sydenham, South East London, Page 3’s black superstar worked for the Nature Conservancy Council before being spotted by a model agency.
She landed a part in 1983 Bond film Octopussy with Roger Moore.
A year later, then age 22, she was washing her car when her mum shouted out: “There’s someone called Bob on the phone for you.”
It was Hollywood star Robert de Niro. The pair had a long-distance romance, seeing each other every six weeks for two years.
Gillian quit Page 3 in 1985 to concentrate on acting. Today, age 58, she lives a quiet life in South London writing music.
LEILANI DOWDING: Having planned to be an economist, Leilani dropped out of university to become a pin-up and won Miss Great Britain in 1998 before making her Page 3 debut the following year.
During 17 years in LA she modelled, starred in a reality TV show and launched her own fashion brand, LeiLuna. The 40-year-old, originally from Bournemouth, says: “Without Page 3 I don’t think I would be where I am today.”
LACEY BANGHARD: Yes, it is her real name. The winner of The Sun’s Page 3 Idol competition in 2011 raised £2million for Help For Heroes and appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in 2013.
Lacey, 28, from Bedford, said of her time on Page 3: “It wasn’t just a job. It is a celebration of women.”
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