‘Kelly Brook is my pin-up persona – this is the real me’

On Celebrity Race Across The World , Kelly Brook , by her own admission, is not Kelly Brook at all. For Kelly Brook – the Page Three model who became an actress in films like Piranha 3D and The Italian Job before finding her calling as a radio presenter – is nothing but an ‘illusion.’ The 44-year-old explained to Metro.

co.uk that Kelly Brook was a ‘pin-up character’ dreamt up by a photographer when she was 18 because her real name, Kelly Parsons, lacked ‘glamour’. While Kelly said she has since ‘grown into’ the Kelly Brook ‘persona’ as she has become older and more confident, she is ‘stripped away’ on the BBC show where she backpacks across South America with husband Jeremy Parisi, 39.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star said: ‘You’re dealing with stuff Kelly Brook doesn’t deal with: Kelly Brook gets a car. Kelly Brook has a glam team. Kelly Brook has dinner bought for her.

‘On Celebrity Race Across The World, Mrs Parisi didn’t have a phone; didn’t have any money; had to get the bus everywhere, and didn’t have a glam team.’ Kelly added: ‘But I’m not even sure if the person you get on the show exists outside of that scenario. We all have different faces and different situations bring those out.

’ On Celebrity Race Across The World, Kelly and Jeremy are competing against fellow star pairings Scott Mills and his husband Sam Vaughan, Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy Brazier, and Kola Bokinni and his cousin Mary Ellen on a 12,500km.