British actor, writer and former glamour model Keeley Hazell has opened up about the emotional impact of her years as a Page 3 model, saying the experience left her feeling “voiceless” despite making her one of the UK’s most recognisable faces in the mid-2000s.Speaking to The Guardian ahead of her Edinburgh Fringe show based on her memoir Everyone’s Seen My Tits: Stories and Reflections from an Unlikely Feminist, Hazell reflected on the highs and lows of her modelling career, the exploitation she experienced as a teenager, and how writing the book helped her reclaim her voice.
‘Topless modelling never really aligned with me’
Hazell said that while her modelling career brought fame, travel and financial success, it also came with feelings of shame and a disconnect from her public image.“There was excitement, but also a lot of shame and embarrassment,” she said. “Topless modelling never really aligned with me as a person.”She explained that writing her memoir became a form of healing after years of feeling unable to express herself.“It was a release,” she said. “I was able to give myself a voice for a period where I felt voiceless.”
From London council estate to Page 3 fame
Hazell recalled that her journey into modelling began unexpectedly after leaving school at 16 and working in a hair salon. A colleague encouraged her to submit photographs to modelling competitions, one of which turned out to be the Daily Star’s “Beach Babe” contest.After winning that competition, she went on to win The Sun’s “Page 3 Idol,” launching a career that quickly transformed her life.“I went from growing up on a council estate to owning a luxury apartment overlooking the Thames,” she said.Despite the glamour, Hazell believes she entered the industry far too young.“I was so young, there was so much exploitation. I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for it.”She added that there was virtually no safeguarding for young women entering glamour modelling at the time.“There was so little protection for women entering that industry. I had no idea about the things I needed in place, and my family didn’t either.”
‘I regret not having more control’
Looking back, Hazell said she still finds it difficult to believe how normalised Page 3 culture once was.“It was just a wild thing to grow up with,” she said, referring to topless images being readily available in newspapers and newsagents across Britain.Although she cherishes some memories, including travelling the world and earning more money than she had imagined, she regrets not having greater control over her career.“A lot of the time I was just numb. I’d drink a lot and tell myself to enjoy the party,” she admitted.
Therapy helped her process past trauma
Hazell also spoke about the emotional toll of a sex tape that was later sold to the Sunday Sport, describing revisiting the episode in her memoir as “terrifying.”She said therapy played a key role in helping her process the experience.“So many women experience some aspect of sexual violation and abuse in any realm; the shame for me needed to be ridded,” she said.
Returning to the stage with an autobiographical show
Hazell is now preparing a one-woman comedy show for the Edinburgh Fringe, inspired by her memoir. The production begins with her audition to play Keeley Jones, the Ted Lasso character reportedly inspired by her.Although she did not land the lead role, Hazell later joined the Emmy-winning series in a recurring acting role and also worked as a staff writer.She said the stage show will blend humour with deeply personal experiences.“Trauma and humour are intertwined,” she said. “Even within the spiralling and the PTSD of it all, it should be a humorous retelling.”For Hazell, the project represents something she says she lacked during her years as a glamour model: complete ownership of her own story.“It is incredibly powerful to have a voice,” she said.