Saturday, November 8, 2008
Biography
Name: Abigail Titmuss
Known As: Abi Titmuss
Date of Birth: 08/02/1976
Birth Place: Ruskington, Lincolnshire, England
Age: 32
Place of Birth: Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Titmuss was born on 8 February 1976 and graduated from City University in St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1998 and became a staff nurse at London's University College Hospital.
Titmuss met TV presenter John Leslie at a party in 1998. The pair quickly formed a relationship, and Titmuss lived between her student nurse accommodation at the hospital and Leslie's home in Barnes, south-west London.
In 2002 presenter Ulrika Jonsson released her autobiography, suggesting she had been raped earlier in her career by a now well know TV presenter. Weeks later the News of the World ran front page pictures of John Leslie snorting cocaine in a cafe. The following week, pictures appeared in the paper of Leslie, Titmuss and other women taking part in sex-sessions at Leslie's home, including basketball player Jayson Blayde and his girlfriend.
Trial of John Leslie
The following week on Matthew Wright's live Five morning television show, Leslie was named as the anonymous celebrity linked to the rape accusation in Jonsson's autobiography.
Leslie was arrested by the Metropolitan Police, and faced a court trial throughout which Titmuss was demurely present at his side throughout. The image of Titmuss at this time was in complete contrast to that which had been portrayed in the various newspaper articles and pictures leading up to the trial, and she received high praise in most editorials.
When Leslie was found not guilty the assumption was that the couple would continue their relationship. However, Leslie's career was stalled and Titmuss has raised her image to the point where she was offered various television presenting jobs. Her tabloid-friendly looks and ease in front of the camera gained her a part-time post as a reporter for Leslie's friends Richard and Judy, under taking occasional projects while continuing her job as a nurse.
However, a few months later she lost this job when a menage à trois home sex video of Leslie, Titmuss and another woman found its way onto the Internet. Leslie and Titmuss immediately broke up, and Titmuss insisted that the tape had been released to the press by Leslie in light of his extreme need for cash to fund his lifestyle.
Glamour career
Titmuss fully engaged her new image, and undertook a series of interviews promoting her image as a real sex star and Britain's Number 1 pinup. In her own words to the Sunday Mirror she said: "I'm not like those glamour girls who say: 'I'm really dirty, I'm really bad', then just pose around. I really am dirty and bad - I love sex."
She took up presenting on pornographic channel Television X, released a risque fitness video, authored an erotic novel published by Black Lace, made personal appearances in nightclubs all over the UK and Ireland, made millions by licensing every image of herself published to her own trademark and wrote a regular sex advice Column for FHM. Titmuss has modelled for many UK men's magazines, such as FHM (whose readers voted her #7 in FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005), Nuts, Zoo Weekly, Loaded, GQ and Maxim magazines and others such as The Sunday Times Style. She resultantly became the most photographed woman in Great Britain for 2004 and most of 2005[citation needed]; while her 2004 calendar was the biggest selling in the UK[citation needed].
In December 2004, Titmuss appeared on the front cover of FHM magazine with Victoria Silvstedt.
She used her image and status to join ITV 1's "Celebrity Love Island." Her other television work includes training as a chef on the 2004 series of Hell's Kitchen, and in 2005, she appeared on Channel 4's The Friday Night Project as a regular guest feature, and in "Abi Titmuss: A modern day morality tale", a fly on the wall documentary for Channel 4.
In 2005, Titmuss appeared in a high fashion shoot in Pop magazine, which commented on her status as the Face of 21st century celebrity.
After taking a break from modelling work, Titmuss has recently relaunched her glamour career as a brunette with an appearance on the cover of Zoo Weekly magazine and the sale of the official Abi Titmuss calendar 2007.
She has recently been seen in Deadline with Janet Street Porter on ITV1 and ITV2 which followed a number of celebrities as they aimed to edit and produce a celebrity based magazine, published as a supplement with Closer magazine.
Acting
After taking a short course at the Central School of Speech and Drama Titmuss made her West End acting debut in March 2006, playing a prostitute with a multiple personality disorder in Two way mirror by Arthur Miller at the Courtyard theatre. She gave weak performances in the preview stage[citation needed] which were released by the tabloid press, but despite her self confessed nervousness theatre critics actually praised her first foray into the world of acting, citing that she had great potential and was clearly a capable actress.
In 2006, Titmuss filmed a small role in the major motion picture Goal! 2, but her scenes were cut from the final edit of the picture which was released in 2007.
In a touch of irony, Titmuss was due to have been the subject of a theatre production herself in a musical satire entitled Being Abi, performed by students in her home county of Lincolnshire. Devised by pupils at Boston College, Lincoln in May 2006, it was scheduled for a three-day run before it was cancelled after concerns by parents of two teenage performers in the show over some of its content.
Personal life
Following her long term and latterly publicly exposed relationship with John Leslie, and her image as a real sex kitten, her personal life is closely followed. She dated comedians David Walliams and Patrick McGuinness post break-up with Leslie, and had a longer term relationship with fellow "Celebrity Love Island" contestant Lee Sharpe. But after he had a series of affairs (including with Big Brother star Lisa Jeynes) the relationship broke up, she had a short relationship with dancer Brendan Cole and was linked to Russell Brand, she now claims presently to be single.
Filmography
1. Frontman (2009/II) (post-production) .... Myterious Girl
2. Mixed Up (2009) (post-production)
3. Do Elephants Pray? (2008) (post-production) .... Mirriam
4. "Katy Brand's Big Ass Show" (2007) TV series .... Jezebel
5. Hotel Babylon (2005) (TV) .... Nun
Self:
1. "What Are You Like?" .... Herself (10 episodes, 2008)
2. Another Audience with Al Murray (2007) (TV) .... Herself
3. "Hell's Kitchen" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
4. "You Can't Fire Me, I'm Famous" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
5. "Big Brother's Efourum" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
6. "Annually Retentive" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
7. "Deadline" .... Herself - Reporter (2 episodes, 2007)
8. "Happy Hour" .... Herself (1 episode, 2007)
9. The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols (2007) (TV) .... Herself
10. "Richard & Judy" .... Herself (4 episodes, 2003-2006)
11. "Celebrity Love Island" (2005) TV series .... Herself (Series 1) (unknown episodes, 2005)
12. "Jack Dee Live at the Apollo" .... Herself - Audience Member (1 episode, 2005)
13. Death of Celebrity (2005) (TV) .... Herself
14. Abi Titmuss: A Modern Day Morality Tale (2005) (TV) .... Herself
15. "Celebrity Love Island: Aftersun" (2005) TV series .... Herself
16. Tone & Tease with Abi Titmuss (2005) (V) .... Herself
17. Maxim Uncovered! Vol. 4 (2005) (V) .... Herself
18. "The Friday Night Project" .... Herself (8 episodes, 2005)
19. An Audience with Al Murray (2005) (TV) .... Herself
20. Titmuss Out for the Lads (2005) (V) .... Herself