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Glamour world's rising star
Ian Wylie25/ 4/2008
IT is not something most dads plan for. "When she first started, I was a bit wary," admits Rhian Sugden's father Steve. "But I'm happy for her. Loads of money and famous. Not many people can say that."
Manchester glamour girl Rhian was an overnight success in a ruthless business that rejects thousands of eager wannabes. Now 21, she recalls how she was signed up by Britain's premier glamour agency, Samantha Bond Management - the company said to have discovered Jordan.
"I sent my pictures off on the Friday night. She rang me on Monday morning and said, `Come down for a meeting with me.' And by the Friday my photo was in The Sun."
That first photoshoot was made more nerve-wracking by the fact that Rhian usually wore glasses. "I was scared to death and couldn't see the photographer. But she put me at my ease. And as soon as I had my eyes lasered, I was fine."
Page Three girl Rhian, who still lives with her parents in Radcliffe, has been in the industry now for less than two years and understood her dad's initial misgivings. She said: "I'm his little girl, obviously, so it's a bit weird seeing me naked in the papers.
"But he's all right now. I've got a picture of me topless at the top of the stairs. People might think it's strange, because you walk into my house and there I am topless. But it's my uniform now. It's what I go to work in."
She didn't plan this particular career path. "I always looked at the models and thought I'd love to be able to do that. It never really crossed my mind to go into it though. And then when my boobs grew people were saying, `You should try it.' So I did."
Behind the scenes
Rhian features in BBC3 series Glamour Girls - made by Manchester-based October North - which goes behind the scenes at Samantha Bond, stripping away the glamorous image of the industry. There's footage, for example, of Rhian and fellow topless model Katie Downes receiving some unwanted attention during a beach photoshoot in Tenerife.
"It is hard work," says Rhian. "People think you just get all this glamorous make up on and your little outfits and then you just stand there in front of the camera. But it's not like that.
"Half the time, the pictures only take about two or three hours. But the whole shoot can last eight or nine hours. Then there's the waiting around and getting re-arranged - your hair and so on. It gets boring."
But that doesn't stop waves of youngsters wanting to follow in her footsteps. In a recent survey of girls aged 15-19, almost two thirds said glamour modelling was their dream job. More than 500 girls contact the agency every month. One young wannabe filmed turning up at Sam's office says she's even brought her bible along. It's not clear if it's the King James' version or Heat magazine.
Most get it wrong. Sam and her assistant Nikki Diamond, better known as Gladiator Scorpio, are after natural curves. Boob jobs are a no-no for many clients. Copycat Jordans don't stand a chance. The stereotypical look of false nails, hair and boobs is out.
The agency's clients are lads' mags, tabloids and top lingerie brands. "What we look for in a model is obviously a photogenic face, a good figure and a professional attitude," explains Sam, a former model herself. "As soon as a girl comes through the door, I know whether she's got it or not."
Generalise
It's never wise to generalise about professions. Not all accountants are dull and not all Page Three girls are trainee WAGs. After passing nine GCSEs with distinction, self-confessed `school geek' Rhian was studying A-levels in law, psychology, plus IT and media when she developed a phobia of sitting exams, passing out in a sports hall. Jobs followed in an estate agent's and with a telecoms firm before she got her big modelling break.
Now along with the lifestyle, she's got the trophy boyfriend to boot - Stockport's Matt Peacock, the male model who found nationwide notoriety by marrying Jodie Marsh for an MTV series. The couple have been together for five months, so are there any plans for wedding bells? Rhian said: "I'm waiting for him to get divorced. But, yeah, I love him."
Matt adds: "She's really normal and down to earth - we get on really well. We're even talking about getting our own place together."
Beyond the jet-set life and the model partner, Rhian is wise enough to realise her career could be over by the age of 24 or 25. She said: "Hopefully, I'm going to be start back at Bury College in September to get my A-levels on a part-time course. Then by the time I finish I'm going to get a degree in nursing and midwifery. I've always wanted to be a midwife.
"I would say to young girls, if you've got the brains get your qualifications before you start, because glamour modelling hasn't got a long life span. You've got to think about what you're going to do afterwards.
"Unless you're Jordan, obviously. If I ended up like that, I don't think I would be a midwife."
Glamour Girls is on BBC3 on Monday at 8.30pm.
For all the latest news from the world of television, check out Ian Wylie's blog, The Life of
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