Actor, writer and former British glamor model Keeley Hazell has opened up about the emotional impact of her years as a model, saying the experience left her feeling “voiceless” despite making her one of Britain’s most recognizable faces in the mid-2000s.Speaking to The Guardian ahead of her Edinburgh Fringe show based on her memoir Everyone’s Seen My Tits: Stories and Reflections from an Unlikely Feminist, Hazell reflected on the ups and downs of her modeling career, the exploitation she experienced as a teenager and how writing the book helped her reclaim her voice.
‘Topless modeling never really lined me up”
Hazell said that while her modeling career brought fame, travel and financial success, it also brought feelings of shame and a disconnect with her public image.“There was excitement, but also a lot of embarrassment and shame,” she said. “Topless modeling never aligned with me as a person.”She explained that writing her memoir became a form of healing after years of feeling unable to express herself.“It was a release,” he said. “I was able to give myself a voice during a period when I felt voiceless.”
From London council estate to fame
Hazell recalled that her journey into modeling began unexpectedly after she left school at 16 and worked in a hair salon. A colleague encouraged her to submit photographs to modeling contests, one of which turned out to be the Daily Star’s “Beach Babe” contest.After winning this competition, he won The Sun’s ‘Page 3 Idol’, launching a career that quickly transformed his life.“I went from growing up on a council estate to having a luxury apartment overlooking the Thames,” he said.Despite the glamour, Hazell believes she entered the industry too young.“I was so young, there was so much exploitation. I wasn’t emotionally or mentally ready for it.”She added that there was virtually no protection for young women breaking into glamor modeling at the time.“There was so little protection for women coming into this industry. I had no idea the things I needed in place, and neither did my family.”
“I regret not having more control”
Looking back, Hazell said she still finds it hard to believe how normalized the culture was.“It was a wild thing growing up,” she said, referring to the topless images that were readily available in newspapers and newsstands across Britain.While she has some memories, like traveling the world and making more money than she ever imagined, she regrets not having more control over her career.“Many times she was asleep. She drank a lot and told me to enjoy the party,” she admitted.
Therapy helped her process past trauma
Hazell also spoke about the emotional impact of a sex tape that was later sold to Sunday Sport, describing revisiting the episode in her memoir as “terrifying”.She said therapy played a key role in helping her process the experience.“So many women experience some aspect of rape and sexual abuse in any setting, the shame for me had to be lifted,” she said.
Returning to the stage with an autobiographical show
Hazell is now preparing a one-woman comedy show for the Edinburgh Fringe, inspired by her memoir. Production begins with her auditioning to play Keeley Jones, the Ted Lasso character she was inspired by.Although she did not land the lead role, Hazell later joined the Emmy-winning series in a recurring acting role and also worked as a writer.He said the show will combine humor with deeply personal experiences.“Trauma and humor are intertwined,” she said. “Even within the spiral and PTSD of it all, it should be a humorous narrative.”For Hazell, the project represents something she says she lacked during her years as a glamor model: full ownership of her own story.“It’s incredibly powerful to have a voice,” she said.