Kirsten Imrie
Encyclopedia
Kirsten Fiona Imrie is a former Page Three girl
, glamour model, and television presenter.
, East Lothian
, Scotland
from the age of three. After leaving school at the age of 16, she worked in various blue-collar
jobs in the Edinburgh
area. Aged 18, she married a local man from Haddington
, East Lothian
but the marriage soon dissolved.
Imrie then moved to London
and began a glamour modelling career. She started appearing as a Page Three girl
in The Sun
in November 1988, shortly after her 21st birthday, and continued to appear regularly on Page Three until August 1993. She also posed nude for a wide range of men's magazines, including the US edition of Penthouse, which featured her as its cover girl
and Penthouse Pet for December 1989 (modelling under the pseudonym
Kirsten Stewart). She continued to pose for glamour photographs through her late thirties, appearing in the April 2007 edition of Mayfair
magazine at the age of 39.
Imrie also worked as a television presenter. In 1995, she appeared on the newly launched adult television channel Television X
. In 1996, L!VE TV
recruited Imrie as a television sports presenter. She replaced another former Page Three girl, Gail McKenna
, who had moved to the channel Five.
affairs with other glamour models.
In the mid-1990s, Imrie began to struggle with debt. On 27 September 1994, when she appeared in a London court on charges of driving under the influence
, her solicitor told the court that she was no longer receiving regular modelling work, was struggling under a "mountain of debt," was living on unemployment benefits, and was "almost on the breadline".
In November 2000, tabloid newspapers ran stories reporting that Imrie was penniless and sleeping rough on Clapham Common
, having sold her house to pay off debts. The tabloids later claimed that readers' donations had enabled Imrie to rent a flat in South London, resume her modelling career, and turn her life around.
In 2003, Imrie spoke about her homelessness and addiction problems in the UK television documentary The Curse of Page 3.
Page Three girl
Page Three is a tabloid newspaper feature consisting of a topless photograph of a female glamour model, usually printed on the paper's third page...
, glamour model, and television presenter.
Career
Born in west London, Imrie was raised in MusselburghMusselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
, East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
from the age of three. After leaving school at the age of 16, she worked in various blue-collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
jobs in the Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
area. Aged 18, she married a local man from Haddington
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which was known officially as Haddingtonshire before 1921. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the 6th...
, East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
but the marriage soon dissolved.
Imrie then moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and began a glamour modelling career. She started appearing as a Page Three girl
Page Three girl
Page Three is a tabloid newspaper feature consisting of a topless photograph of a female glamour model, usually printed on the paper's third page...
in The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
in November 1988, shortly after her 21st birthday, and continued to appear regularly on Page Three until August 1993. She also posed nude for a wide range of men's magazines, including the US edition of Penthouse, which featured her as its cover girl
Cover girl
A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magazine....
and Penthouse Pet for December 1989 (modelling under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Kirsten Stewart). She continued to pose for glamour photographs through her late thirties, appearing in the April 2007 edition of Mayfair
Mayfair (magazine)
Mayfair is a British adult magazine for men. Founded in 1965, it was designed as a response to U.S. magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse, which had recently launched in the UK. For many years it claimed the largest distribution of any men's magazine in the UK.-Fisk Publishing era:Mayfair was...
magazine at the age of 39.
Imrie also worked as a television presenter. In 1995, she appeared on the newly launched adult television channel Television X
Television X
Television X is the name of a series of adult television channels in the UK, produced by Portland TV, a subsidiary of Northern & Shell owned by Richard Desmond, the proprietor of the Daily Express...
. In 1996, L!VE TV
L!VE TV
L!VE TV was a British television station that was operated by MGN on cable television from 15 August 1995 - 31 October 1999. It was later revived for Sky Digital from 2003...
recruited Imrie as a television sports presenter. She replaced another former Page Three girl, Gail McKenna
Gail McKenna
Gail McKenna is an English actress who rose to fame in the 1980s as a Page Three girl and glamour model...
, who had moved to the channel Five.
Controversy and personal struggles
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, British tabloid newspapers regularly featured stories about Imrie's jet-setting lifestyle, her alleged alcohol and cocaine abuse, her celebrity relationships, and even her alleged lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
affairs with other glamour models.
In the mid-1990s, Imrie began to struggle with debt. On 27 September 1994, when she appeared in a London court on charges of driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
, her solicitor told the court that she was no longer receiving regular modelling work, was struggling under a "mountain of debt," was living on unemployment benefits, and was "almost on the breadline".
In November 2000, tabloid newspapers ran stories reporting that Imrie was penniless and sleeping rough on Clapham Common
Clapham Common
Clapham Common is an 89 hectare triangular area of grassland situated in south London, England. It was historically common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, but was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878.43 hectares of the common are within the...
, having sold her house to pay off debts. The tabloids later claimed that readers' donations had enabled Imrie to rent a flat in South London, resume her modelling career, and turn her life around.
In 2003, Imrie spoke about her homelessness and addiction problems in the UK television documentary The Curse of Page 3.