Kelly Brook is an English model, actress and television presenter best known for her roles in the 2010 horror comedy remake Piranha 3D and in the NBC sitcom One Big Happy. Brook was born and raised in Rochester, Kent, as Kelly Ann Parsons. She is the daughter of Sandra Kelly, a cook, and Kenneth Parsons, a scaffolder. She has a younger brother, Damian, and an older half-sister, Sasha. Kenneth died aged 57 in Rochester from lung cancer on 26 November 2007, during Brook’s time on Strictly Come Dancing. Brook attended the Thomas Aveling School in Warren Wood, Rochester. She then studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London for three years before becoming a professional model. Brook’s modelling career began at 16 after she won a beauty competition, into which she had been entered by her mother. She later worked on a range of advertising campaigns, including for Foster’s Lager, Renault Mégane, Walker’s crisps, Piz Buin and Bravissimo, a company that specialises in bras and lingerie for large-breasted women. Her figure eventually caught the eye of the editorial team of the Daily Star tabloid, which began featuring her as a Page Three girl. Brook’s picture soon began appearing in other lads’ mags such as GQ, Loaded and FHM. In April of the same year, a poll over 5,000 women for Grazia magazine considered her to have the best British female body. She also topped the ‘FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World’ list in 2005, which was said to have polled 15 million people. Appearing in this list every year since 1998, she ranked No.34 in 2008, No.67 in 2009 and No.7 in 2010. She was the cover star of FHM’s World Cup 2010 special issue, and was on the cover of the magazine in April 2011. In February 2007, it was announced that Brook had signed a contract, reported to be worth around £1m, to represent Unilever’s Lynx bodyspray, known as “Axe” in the US and in continental Europe. She has appeared on billboards, in newspapers and on-line as part of their advertising campaign. She has also appeared in commercials for Sky + and T Mobile and modelled for Reebok. In 2010, she was chosen as the “new face and body” of lingerie maker Ultimo’s advertising campaign. In September 2010, Brook appeared in the American edition of Playboy magazine. In October 2010, Brook appeared live at Clapham Picture House to surprise cinemagoers as part of a promotion for Carlsberg and Sky 3D. In November 2010, Brook presented an award at MTV’s EMA’s in Madrid. Brook produces a line of swimwear with New Look, for which she herself has modelled. In September 2014, Brook launched a clothing line for Simply Be. The following year, she became a brand ambassador for Skechers. Brook was in a relationship with actor Jason Statham until the mid-2000s. Brook met American actor Billy Zane while filming thriller Survival Island in Eleuthera, Bahamas in 2004. Brook and Zane were engaged to be married in the summer of 2008 and acquired a house in Kent, but Brook postponed the wedding upon the death of her father in November 2007. The couple split in April 2008 and briefly got back together before ending their relationship in August 2008. Brook had been dating rugby player Thom Evans since December 2010. On 16 March 2011, she announced via her Twitter account that she and Evans were expecting a baby girl. On 9 May 2011, Brook suffered a miscarriage. On 1 February 2013, Brook announced through Twitter that she and Evans had split. She began dating fitness model David McIntosh in February 2014 and in March 2014 they announced their engagement; however, on 26 September 2014 she announced via Twitter that the engagement was over and wished him well. In September 2014, Kelly released her autobiography. which reached the Sunday Times Bestseller list on 21 September. Domestic-violence groups and others criticised her during her promotional tour for laughing about punching two ex-boyfriends in the face. Brook is an animal lover and posed nude with her body painted in scales for the “Whose Skin Are You In?” campaign by PETA. At end of 2013 Kelly opened her bar “Steam and Rye” in the heart of the City of London. In June 2014 Steam and Rye won Bar of the Year at the London Club and Bar Awards.
