Rhian Sugden embraced her figure in a daring sheer plunging bodysuit for a provocative photograph shared online as she anticipates her 40th birthday.
The 39-year-old former glamour model posted the image to Instagram this weekend, accompanying it with a caption expressing her excitement for her upcoming milestone. "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 wrote. "Chapter 40 is going to be my best yet."
Sugden also referenced her new AI persona, Rita, a digital alter ego created to produce content for subscribers. "And yes, despite unleashing AI Rita into the world, I'll still be creating my own content. She's got her job. I've got mine. Thanks @playfulpromises for this stunning bodysuit," she added.
The new photographs emerge as Sugden continues to discuss the lingering impact of her past sexting scandal with Vernon Kay. In 2010, Kay issued a public apology to his then-wife Tess Daly after sending messages to Sugden, with further allegations surfacing in 2016. The scandal resurfaced in May when Vernon and Tess announced their separation after 22 years of marriage.
Sugden, who is married to Oliver Mellor and has a son named George, is preparing to address the scandal in an upcoming tell-all book. She told The Mirror that while Vernon Kay will be mentioned, she anticipates readers might expect more from the situation than actually occurred. "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 stated. Sugden expressed a desire for her career achievements and businesses to be the focus, rather than the controversy.
In 2020, Sugden previously claimed the scandal had harmed her career, stating it made her feel sick that Kay resumed his television work after apologizing. Kay has consistently maintained that the messages were flirtatious banter and that he did not act inappropriately. Sugden recounted her feelings in a Channel 4 documentary, 'Page Three: The Naked Truth,' expressing that Kay "got away with it" and it "ruined everything" for her, contrasting his ability to continue his career with the lasting impact on her own.
Tess and Vernon Kay announced their decision to separate in May, stating it was an amicable choice after 22 years of marriage, and that they would continue to co-parent their two daughters.