Abi Titmuss
Encyclopedia
Abi Titmuss, is a former English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 nurse turned glamour model, television personality and actress.

Early life

Abi Titmuss grew up in Heckington
Heckington
Heckington is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies between Sleaford and Swineshead Bridge, south of the A17 road. Heckington, with 1491 households, is one of the largest villages in Lincolnshire.-History:...

, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

 where her parents were teachers, and she took her A levels at Kesteven and Sleaford High School
Kesteven and Sleaford High School
Kesteven and Sleaford High School is a grammar school for girls aged between eleven and eighteen, located on Jermyn Street in the small market town of Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England, close to Sleaford train station.-Awards:...

 where she played the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

. She briefly dated cartoonist BP Perry before moving to Ruskington
Ruskington
Ruskington is a large village in the English county of Lincolnshire, on the north-south B1188 road, just north of the A153. The village has approximately 2,200 dwellings, and from east to west is two kilometres long.-History:...

. Her parents divorced when she was 17, and her father moved to Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...

, Scotland, where he remarried. Her mother is secretary of Sleaford Museum trust.

Nursing

Titmuss graduated from City University
City University, London
City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....

 in St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...

 in 1998. She did a nursing diploma because her A levels were not good enough to be a doctor and became a staff nurse at London's University College Hospital
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....

.

Television and Radio

Titmuss was hired as a roving reporter on the Channel 4 programme Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...

 but was sacked when it emerged that she had been filmed having sex and the tape became public. On the tape she had lesbian sex with Nigerian model Aisha Abubakar (b. 1970), a student at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts, while being filmed by boyfriend John Leslie
John Leslie
John Leslie may refer to:* Sir John Leslie , Scottish mathematician and physicist* John Leslie , Scottish television presenter of Blue Peter , Wheel of Fortune and This Morning * John Leslie , Church of Scotland and Church of Ireland bishop* John Leslie John Leslie may refer to:* Sir John Leslie...

. She appeared on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...

's Celebrity Love Island where she was called "a big fat slag" by fellow contestant Jayne Middlemiss
Jayne Middlemiss
Jayne Middlemiss is a London-based British television and radio presenter, originally from Northumberland. She began presenting music television shows such as The O-Zone and Top of the Pops in the mid '90s, before presenting a variety of other television and radio shows, including on BBC 6 Music...

. Titmuss had become close to ex-footballer Lee Sharpe, whom Middlemiss had designs on. Titmuss managed to lose her bikini in the swimming pool showing off a glimpse of nipple. Her other television work includes training as a chef on the 2004 series of Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen (UK TV series)
Hell's Kitchen was a British cookery reality show aired on ITV which featured prospective chefs competing with each other for a final prize. Four series had been aired since 2004, three presented by Angus Deayton and the latest by Claudia Winkleman....

, and in 2005, she appeared on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

's The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title 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
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

. She has also starred on a celebrity edition of Channel 4's Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...

 with Paul Ross
Paul Ross
Paul Ross is an English television and radio presenter, journalist, and media personality. He is the son of Martha Ross and the elder brother of Jonathan Ross.-Early life:...

, Lesley Joseph
Lesley Joseph
Lesley D Joseph is an English actress and broadcaster.-Life and career:Joseph was born in Northampton. She is best known for starring in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather from 1989–1998, in which she played Dorien Green, the Jewish next-door neighbour of the main characters Sharon and Tracy...

, Linda Lusardi
Linda Lusardi
Linda Lusardi is an English actress, television presenter and former Page Three Girl. She is married to the actor Samuel Kane; they have two children, both born in Enfield, London: Lucy Anne and Jack Francis ....

 and Rodney Marsh
Rodney Marsh (footballer)
Rodney William Marsh is an English retired footballer. He was named after HMS Rodney by his father, who served on the battleship. He played for Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the England national team. Lately, he has been a pundit and a commentator on the...

 but did enjoy the experience. Lusardi won.

Titmuss appeared on the reality series Deadline
Deadline (reality TV series)
Deadline was a reality television series, aired on ITV2 during April and May 2007. It featured ten celebrities compiling a magazine with Janet Street-Porter as the editor-in-chief.-Content:...

 with Janet Street Porter on ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...

. The show followed a number of celebrities as they attempted to produce a celebrity-based magazine each week, published as a supplement to Closer. Titmuss was the fourth celebrity to be sacked from the show. She has guest-presented shows on Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...

, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 and LBC radio.

Titmuss appeared in the second series première of Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon is a BAFTA-nominated Welsh actor, comedian, radio and television presenter, singer and impressionist...

s Annually Retentive, which aired 30 April 2007 on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...

 and as a character called Gezebelle in an episode of Katy Brand's Big Ass show, a new sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...

 series for ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...

.

Glamour

When it became impossible for Titmuss to continue as a nurse (following her increased public profile and the sex video becoming public) she became a glamour model. In her own words to Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...

:
She took up presenting on pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...

 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...

, released a fitness video, authored an erotic novel published by Black Lace and made personal appearances in nightclubs in UK and Ireland. After a photo shoot opportunity offered by FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...

 of a two-page spread, she was eventually featured in a three-page spread and made the cover. In 2004 and 2005, she made 38 front page appearances on British men's magazines, such as FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...

 , Nuts
Nuts (magazine)
Nuts is a weekly lad mag published in the United Kingdom. It was the first weekly lads magazine to be published in the UK and is sold every Tuesday...

, Zoo Weekly
Zoo Weekly
Zoo is a weekly lads' magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 29 January 2004, as the second weekly men's magazine in the UK after the similar and rival magazine Nuts)...

, loaded
Loaded (magazine)
Loaded, first published in 1994, is a British magazine for men that is considered to be the "original lads' mag". Its motto is "For men who should know better".-History:...

, GQ and Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....

 magazines. She also appeared in The Sunday Times Style and in glamour pictures in of several tabloid newspapers including 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...

, News Of The World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...

, Daily Mirror, The People
The People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....

 and Daily Star. Titmuss was voted by readers as number seven in FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...

 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005, and wrote a regular sex advice column
Column (newspaper)
A column is a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication. Columns are written by columnists.What differentiates a column from other forms of journalism is that it meets each of the following criteria:...

 for the magazine. In December 2004, Titmuss appeared on the front cover of FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...

 with Swedish model Victoria Silvstedt
Victoria Silvstedt
Karen Victoria Silvstedt is a Swedish celebrity model, actress, singer, and television personality.-Background:Born in Skelleftehamn, Silvstedt was raised in a family of five in Bollnäs, having one older sister and one younger brother...

. At the height of her fame in 2004/2005, Titmuss could command up to £30,000 a day for appearing on the front page of Nuts or Zoo. In 2005, Titmuss appeared in a high fashion shoot in Pop, which commented on her status as the face of 21st century celebrity.

After taking a break from modelling work, Titmuss relaunched her glamour career as a brunette with an appearance on the cover of Zoo
Zoo Weekly
Zoo is a weekly lads' magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 29 January 2004, as the second weekly men's magazine in the UK after the similar and rival magazine Nuts)...

 and the sale of the official Abi Titmuss calendar for 2007. On 25 April 2007, it was announced that Titmuss had made an appearance for a third time in FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...

s annual 100 Sexiest Women in the World readers' poll, at number 80 (seven in 2005, 95 in 2004).

After announcing in late 2007 that she would take a break from her glamour modelling career to concentrate on acting, Titmuss returned with a new Nuts
Nuts (magazine)
Nuts is a weekly lad mag published in the United Kingdom. It was the first weekly lads magazine to be published in the UK and is sold every Tuesday...

 shoot in April 2009.

Acting

Titmuss first acted during her university studies, and then took part-time acting courses at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...

, paid for from her nursing work. After reducing her glamour model work, Titmuss took a further short course at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Titmuss made her London theatre acting début in March 2006, playing a prostitute with a multiple personality disorder in Two Way Mirror by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...

, at the Courtyard Theatre in Kings Cross
Kings Cross, London
King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...

. In February 2007, Titmuss won a Fringe Report Award for Best West End Début for her role in Two Way Mirror.

In 2006, Titmuss filmed a small role in the major motion picture Goal! 2. She was also offered a role in a remake of Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror
Galaxy of Terror is a 1981 science fiction/horror film produced by Roger Corman and directed by Bruce D. Clark. It stars Edward Albert, Erin Moran, Robert Englund, Ray Walston, Zalman King, Grace Zabriskie and Sid Haig...

, a 1980 horror movie set on an alien planet. She turned it down upon learning that her character would be molested and eaten by a giant moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

.

Titmuss was due to have been the subject of a theatre production in a musical satire entitled Being Abi, performed by students in her home county of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

. Devised by pupils at Boston College
Boston College, Lincolnshire
Boston College is a predominantly further education college in Boston in Lincolnshire, England. It is a Centre of Vocational Excellence for Early Years Care.-History:...

 in May 2006, it was scheduled for a three-day run before being cancelled by two of the performers' concerned parents, who objected to some of the production's content.

Between 26 February and 23 March 2008, Titmuss appeared in the black comedy Fat Christ at the King's Head Theatre in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...

, 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 is due to appear in the touring play Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners
Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners
Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners is an anthology-style play compiled and written by Carry On... writer Norman Hudis and producer Marc Sinden, who is also the director...

.

She has been cast in small roles in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

s Do Elephants Pray? and Mixed Up. In 2008 she played the role of the 'Mysterious Girl' in Beat 24 Films UK independent feature film Frontman

In 2009 she was cast in John Godber's play Up 'n' Under
Up 'n' Under
Up 'n' Under is a comedy by English playwright John Godber, first staged at the Hull Truck Theatre in 1984. The sequel, Up 'n' Under II, followed in 1985....

 to celebrate its 25th Anniversary at the newly refurbished Hull Truck Theatre, Hull. Titmuss played the role of Hazel the fitness instructor, starring alongside James Crossley (formerly Gladiator "Hunter") and soap actor Lewis Linford (Lee Naylor in Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...

). She also had a part in the BBC TV series Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One...

, playing a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...

.

From November until 4 December 2009, Titmuss appeared in Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...

, playing the character of Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...

 with the Seagull Rep. This production opened at the Seagull Theatre, Pakefield, Lowestoft before transferring to other East Anglian venues including The Cut at Halesworth, Bungay's Fisher Theatre and Sudbury Arts Centre.

Publications

Titmuss produced a book co-written with Jayne Lockwood, published by Virgin Books
Virgin Books
Virgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...

on 7 July 2005 called Ten Fantasies (ISBN 978-0-7535-1037-7), in which the content is about her ten most secret (sexual) fantasies. She said that she did not want her mother to read it. Her memoir, The Secret Diaries of Abigail Titmuss was released by Headline Review on 24 July 2008.

Personal life

Titmuss first came to public attention as the girlfriend of TV presenter John Leslie
John Leslie
John Leslie may refer to:* Sir John Leslie , Scottish mathematician and physicist* John Leslie , Scottish television presenter of Blue Peter , Wheel of Fortune and This Morning * John Leslie , Church of Scotland and Church of Ireland bishop* John Leslie John Leslie may refer to:* Sir John Leslie...

. whom she met in a Fulham bar on 10 April 1999. She stood by him when he was accused of sexual wrongdoing and was at his side when the charges were dropped in July 2003. Titmuss dated former footballer Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...

 after they both appeared on Celebrity Love Island, but split after Sharpe dated other women and then returned to a former girlfriend. In mid-2008 on the Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...

 talk show, Titmuss revealed that she had been dating actor Marc Warren
Marc Warren
Marc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:...

 for about a year. The couple split in mid-2009, after Warren had an affair exposed by the News of the World.

External links

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