Move over Kelly Brook, there's a new model in town. Ultimo
founder Michelle Mone has stripped off to showcase her new line of
lingerie.
Michelle Mone OBE launched Ultimo in 1999 after inventing the
Ultimo Plunge Bra. But the entrepreneur was always unhappy about
her figure. "For years I tortured myself about my weight. I was
miserable, I hated myself," she says.
Over the past three years, Mone has shed six stone, going from a
size 22 to a petite size 10-12. She vowed to do a photoshoot once
she reached her target weight: 11 stone. And here are the
results.
"A lot of people will be shocked to see me doing this,
particularly in the business world," says Mone. "A company head has
never done anything like it, so I know it's controversial which is
why I was petrified stepping in front of the camera.
"But I want to empower women and show them that if you're really
unhappy about your body, you have the power to do something about
it. Look at me, I was six stone overweight and SO unfit - but I
managed to turn my life around, and you can too if you put your
mind to it."
Having directed shoots with some of the UK's hottest models,
including Kelly Brook, Rachel Hunter, Penny Lancaster and Mel B,
Mone has now made her debut in front of the camera.
"And if it's the biggest mistake I¹ve ever made in my business
career, then so be it," she says. "But I'm too proud of what I've
achieved to not show it off. Kelly Brook is seven years younger
than me and a great model, but I've trained for a year for this
shoot as a personal challenge and done my very best. I want to show
that a real woman like me, who's had three kids and who weighs 11
stone can model lingerie too."
Mone's photoshoot coincides with the launch of her 'Real Women'
campaign. The MJM International co-owner is seeking 24 women of
various shapes and ages to model the Ultimo range. "If I'm going to
expect 24 women off the street to get their kit of for my brand,
it's only fair that I do it too!" she says.
Will Mone start modelling on a regular basis, then? "How I look
today is the result of three years of hard work, and I want to end
that on a high note and put all my insecurities behind me," she
says. "It's the end of a chapter and I won't be doing anything like
this ever again."
The shoot is a great piece of publicity for Ultimo. And it's not
bad for the bottom line either: Mone's shoot will have cost the
firm a fraction of the usual model hiring fee. Smart business sense
and a great marketing campaign. It only remains for Smarta to say
one thing to Mone…
"Bra-vo!"