Former glamour model Rhian Sugden has shared a new photo in a sheer plunging bodysuit on Instagram ahead of turning 40 in three weeks.
The 39-year-old model worked her best angles for the camera in the image posted over the weekend. In her caption, Sugden wrote: "Keeping the algorithm hydrated. I'm turning 40 in three weeks and I fear I may just be getting started. I genuinely can't wait!" She added: "Chapter 40 is going to be my best yet."
Sugden also addressed her digital alter ego, an artificial intelligence robot character named Rita that creates racy content for subscribers. "And yes, despite unleashing AI Rita into the world, I'll still be creating my own content," she wrote. "She's got her job. I've got mine. Thanks @playfulpromises for this stunning bodysuit." Playful Promises is a lingerie brand.
Sexting Scandal with Vernon Kay
The new post comes after Sugden spoke out earlier this summer about how her past sexting scandal with television presenter Vernon Kay continues to haunt her career. Reflecting on the ongoing scrutiny, she insisted that "people get less for murder."
The controversy dates back to 2010 when Kay was forced to make a public apology on BBC Radio 1 to his wife, Strictly Come Dancing co-host Tess Daly, after a series of "saucy messages" sent to Sugden came to light. Live on air, Kay promised he would no longer contact Sugden or four other women he had been messaging. However, fresh allegations surfaced in 2016 claiming that Kay had again been in touch with Sugden.
Kay, a father of two, has always maintained that the messages were flirty banter and that he never acted inappropriately. In May, Kay and Daly announced their split after 22 years of marriage, admitting they agonised over the decision. The former couple stated that their separation was amicable and that they remain supportive parents to their daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 17.
Tell-All Book Details
When Kay and Daly announced their marriage split, the sexting scandal resurfaced in public discussion. Sugden is now preparing to address how the situation has affected her over the years in an upcoming tell-all book. The model is married to former Coronation Street actor Oliver Mellor, with whom she shares a son named George.
Speaking to The Mirror about the book, Sugden clarified that readers should not expect sensationalised revelations. "Of course there'll be mention of him, but I think people are expecting some wild revelation about a sordid affair that didn't happen," she said. "People get less of a sentence for murder. I'd understand if there'd been a full-blown affair, but there wasn't. Yet somehow, nearly 20 years later, it's still something that follows me around."
She added: "I've spent years building a career and businesses that I'm incredibly proud of, and I'd much rather people talked about those than one chapter of my life that refuses to go away."
Impact on Glamour Career
Sugden previously stated in 2020 that the sexting scandal ruined her career, lamenting that Kay "got away with it" after offering a public apology. She admitted that she wished she had never met him and said it still "made her feel sick" that he returned to his presenting duties shortly afterwards.
Sugden also spoke candidly about the fallout in the Channel 4 documentary Page Three: The Naked Truth, which examined the history of British tabloid modelling. "He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me," Sugden said in the documentary. "I felt like I was going up and up with my career, and then that came along. I wish I'd never met him. He got to give an apology on the radio and just got to carry on, with Family Fortunes, ironically. It still makes me feel sick."
