Abi Titmuss
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Abigail Evelyn Titmuss (born 8 February 1976) is an English actress, television personality and poker player. She is also a former glamour model and nurse.


Early life and education

Born in
Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...
in
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
, Titmuss grew up in
Ruskington Ruskington is a large village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, located approximately 4 miles (7 km) north of Sleaford on the north–south B1188 road and slightly north of the A153 road. The village ...
,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
; both of her parents were teachers. She took her
A-level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
s at
Kesteven and Sleaford High School Kesteven and Sleaford High School (KSHS), is a selective school with academy status for girls aged between eleven and sixteen and girls and boys between sixteen and eighteen, located on Jermyn Street in the small market town of Sleaford, Linco ...
, where she played the clarinet. When she was 17, her parents divorced and her father moved to
Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
, Scotland.


Nursing

Titmuss graduated from City University at the teaching hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1998. She completed a
nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
diploma, because she "was interested in becoming a doctor, but hadn't taken A level
Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
" and became a
staff nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ca ...
at London's
University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College London ...
.


Television and radio

Titmuss was hired as a roving reporter on the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
programme ''
Richard & Judy ''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...
'', in late 2003, and stated at the time that the job was "an absolute dream come true"."Abi Titmuss: If I could meet John Leslie in that bar again"
, FreeNewsPos, 15 July 2013
She lost her job in January 2004 following allegations of
group sex Group sex is sexual behavior involving more than two participants. Participants in group sex can be of any sexual orientation or gender. Any form of sexual activity can be adopted to involve more than two participants, but some forms have their ...
with her boyfriend John Leslie. A sex tape from four years earlier emerged, in which she had been privately filmed having sex with Leslie and Aisha Abubakar, an aspiring model."My hell over shabby Abi orgy"
''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'', 7 November 2004
The footage was downloaded without permission from a private computer and made public by " conman" Jason Onabowale, subsequently convicted and sentenced to serve 18 years in jail for four counts of
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
. She appeared on '' Hell's Kitchen'' in 2004 and the following year appeared on Channel 4's ''
The Friday Night Project ''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
'' as a regular guest; in ''Abi Titmuss: A Modern Day Morality Tale'', a fly-on-the-wall documentary for Channel 4; and on ITV1's '' Celebrity Love Island''. She starred on a celebrity edition of Channel 4's '' Come Dine with Me'' with
Paul Ross Paul Ross (born 31 December 1956) is an English television and radio presenter, journalist and media personality. He is the son of Martha Ross and the elder brother of Jonathan Ross. Early life Growing up in outer east London, Ross was educat ...
,
Lesley Joseph Lesley Diana Joseph (born 14 October 1945) is an English actress and broadcaster, best known for playing Dorien Green in the television sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2014 to 2020. Other television credits incl ...
,
Linda Lusardi Linda Frances Elide Lusardi (born 18 September 1958) is an English actress, television presenter and former glamour model. Career Modelling Lusardi was born in Wood Green, London to Lilian (née Glassman, b. 1933) and Nello Lusardi (1930–2017 ...
and
Rodney Marsh Rodney William Marsh (born 11 October 1944) is an English former footballer and football coach; he later worked as a broadcaster. A forward, he won nine caps for England between 1971 and 1973, scoring one international goal. Brought up in the ...
. Titmuss appeared on the
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series '' Deadline'' with
Janet Street Porter Janet Vera Street-Porter (''née'' Bull; born 27 December 1946) is an English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and media personality. She began her career as a fashion writer and columnist at the ''Daily Mail'' and was later appointed fashion e ...
on
ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
. The show followed a number of celebrities as they attempted to produce a celebrity-based magazine each week, published as a supplement to '' Closer''. Titmuss was the fourth celebrity to be sacked from the show. She has guest-presented shows on
Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...
,
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and LBC radio.


Glamour

Titmuss took up presenting on pornographic channel
Television X Television X (TVX) is a series of adult pay-per-view television channels in the United Kingdom owned by MG Global Entertainment (Europe) Limited. Until 2020, it was owned by Portland TV which was a subsidiary of Richard Desmond's publishing com ...
; released a fitness video; put her name to an erotic novel published by Black Lace; and made personal appearances in nightclubs in the UK and Ireland. An initial offer of a photo shoot over two pages of '' FHM'' morphed into a three-page spread and a cover. In December 2004, Titmuss appeared on the front cover of ''FHM'' again, with Swedish model Victoria Silvstedt, "marking," as she wrote, "the first time a girl was on the FHM cover twice in one year". In 2004 and 2005, she made a total of 38 front-page appearances on British men's magazines, such as ''FHM'', ''
Nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
'', ''
Zoo Weekly ''Zoo'' was a British (and formerly an Australian and South African) Lad mag, lad's mag published weekly by Bauer Media Group in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 29 January 2004, and for a time was the UK's only men's weekly after the si ...
'', '' Loaded'', '' GQ'' and '' Maxim''. She also appeared in the ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
Style'' section and in glamour pictures in several
tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid, a biplane aircraft * ''Ta ...
newspapers, including '' The Sun'', ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'', ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'', '' The People'' and '' Daily Star''. In 2005, Titmuss was ranked seventh by readers in ''FHM''s list of
100 Sexiest Women in the World ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...
. She started writing a regular
sex advice column A sex columnist is a writer of a newspaper or magazine column about sex. Sex advice columns may take the form of essays or, more frequently, answers to questions posed by readers. Sex advice columns can usually be found in alt weekly newspapers, wo ...
for the magazine the same year. In 2005, Titmuss appeared in a high fashion shoot in ''
Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
'' magazine, which commented on her status as the "face of 21st century celebrity". In her memoir, Titmuss states how she quickly realised that she wanted more control after seeing magazines pay her for one shoot and then sell the pictures many times over. Accordingly, she started paying for and directing her own shoots, thus owning the copyright over them and selling them herself, along with her manager. After taking a break from modelling, Titmuss relaunched her glamour career in 2007, this time as a
brunette Brown hair, also referred to as brunet (male) or brunette (female), is the second most common human hair color, after black hair. It varies from light brown to a medium dark hair. It is characterized by higher levels of the dark pigment eumela ...
, with an appearance on the cover of ''Zoo Weekly'' and the sale of the official "Abi Titmuss Calendar". After announcing in late 2007 that she would take a break from her glamour modelling career to concentrate on acting, Titmuss returned with a ''Nuts'' shoot in April 2009 to promote one more calendar.


Acting

Titmuss first acted during her university studies and then took part-time acting courses at the Central School of Speech and Drama, paid for from her nursing work. After reducing her glamour model work, Titmuss took a further short acting course at the same establishment. She also trained at
Kensington and Chelsea College Morley College is a specialist adult education and further education college in London, England. The college has three main campuses, one in Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in Chelsea, the l ...
. According to her memoir, the first
West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...
producer to audition her for a role was
Marc Sinden Marcus Andrew Sinden (born 9 May 1954) is an English actor and film & theatre director and producer. Sinden has worked in film and theatre (mainly in London's West End) as both actor and producer and directed the documentary series ''Great We ...
: In March 2006, Titmuss made her London theatre acting début at the Courtyard Theatre in King's Cross, playing a
prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
with a multiple personality disorder in ''Two Way Mirror'' (a combination of the one-act plays ''
Elegy for a Lady ''Elegy for a Lady'' is a one-act play by Arthur Miller. It was first presented in 1982 by the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, where it was combined with ''Some Kind of Love Story'' under the title ''2 by A.M.''; the combination of t ...
'' and '' Some Kind of Love Story'' by Arthur Miller);"Abi Titmuss on the latest stage in her colourful life"
''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', 25 February 2006
for which she won a Fringe Report Award for Best West End Début. In 2006, Titmuss had a small role in the film '' Goal! 2'' and in the following year appeared in the second series premiere of ''
Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive ''Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive'' is a British television show, first aired on BBC Three in July 2006. Devised by Paul Duddridge, it concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called ''Annually Retentive'', themed around historical events, ...
'', which aired on BBC Three; and as a character called Gezebelle in an episode of ''
Katy Brand's Big Ass Show ''Katy Brand's Big Ass Show'' is a British comedy programme on ITV2. The show features comedian Katy Brand in skits of real life situations and stereotypes, as well and celebrities such as Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, A ...
'', a
sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
series for ITV2. Between 26 February and 23 March 2008, Titmuss appeared in the black comedy ''Fat Christ'' at the
King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...
in Islington, London. She has been cast in small roles in the British
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
s ''Do Elephants Pray?'' and ''Mixed Up''. In 2008, she played the "Mysterious Girl" in the Beat 24 Films independent feature film ''Frontman''. In 2009, Titmuss was cast in the 25th anniversary production of John Godber's play ''
Up 'n' Under ''Up 'n' Under'' is a comedy by English playwright John Godber, first staged at the Hull Truck Theatre in 1984. It won The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy that same year. The sequel, ''Up 'n' Under II'', followed in 1985. Plot It fo ...
'' at the newly refurbished Hull Truck Theatre, Hull. Titmuss played Hazel, the fitness instructor, starring alongside James Crossley (formerly the Gladiator "Hunter" in the British version of ''
Gladiators A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
'') and
soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...
actor
Lewis Linford Lewis Smales (stage name Linford; born 1987) is a British actor. A native of Swanland, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Smales is probably best known for playing the character of gamekeeper Lee Naylor in the British television soap ''Emmerdal ...
(" Lee Naylor" in '' Emmerdale''). She also had a part in the BBC TV series ''
Hotel Babylon Hotel Babylon may refer to: Television * Hotel Babylon (BBC series), a 2000s BBC drama series * Hotel Babylon (music programme), a 1990s ITV late night music programme Literature * ''Hotel Babylon'' (novel), a novel by Imogen Edwards-Jones * ...
'', playing a nun. In November and December 2009, Titmuss appeared in a production of Shakespeare's ''
Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'' with the Seagull Rep, playing the character of
Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...
. The production opened at the Seagull Theatre in
Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
before transferring to other
East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
n venues. In January 2015, Titmuss announced that she had changed her name to Abigail Evelyn, in the context of her relocation to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
, California and her attempts to establish a new career as an actress.


Poker

Titmuss started playing
poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
"seriously" around 2001."Abi: Women make good poker players"
''
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
'' online, 7 July 2008
In 2008, Titmuss played in "Ante Up For Africa", a charity side-event of the
World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...
, in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
."Time for "poker player" Abi Titmuss to hold 'em"
''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'', 24 July 2008
Ladbrokes Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK and International. UK operations are c ...
Poker started sponsoring her in 2005, when she appeared in the first Ladbrokes Poker European Ladies Championship.


Publications

In 2005, Titmuss produced a book, co-written with Jayne Lockwood, called ''Ten Fantasies'', in which she revealed her "ten most secret sexual fantasies." She stated that she did not want her mother to read it. On 24 July 2008, her memoir, titled ''The Secret Diaries of Abigail Titmuss'', on which she
collaborated Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...
with ''
Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
'' journalist Lucie Cave, was published by Headline Review. It was written in the form of a diary and is a day-to-day summary of her life for the previous six years. It includes an indepth look into the trial of Titmuss' then-boyfriend John Leslie, who had been accused of rape; her rise to fame; and how she dealt with the tabloids invading her life.


Personal life

Titmuss first came to public attention as the girlfriend of TV presenter John Leslie, whom she met in a
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
bar on 10 April 1999. In 2017, she married ''
Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' co-star Ari Welkom.


References


Sources

* Titmuss, Abi & Jayne Lockwood. ''Ten Fantasies'',
Virgin Books Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company. History Virgin established its book publishing arm ...
, July 2005, * Titmuss, Abi & Lucie Cave. ''The Secret Diaries of Abigail Titmuss'', Headline Review, July 2008,


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Titmuss, Abi 1976 births Living people Actresses from Lincolnshire Actresses from Nottinghamshire Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of Grantham College Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama English film actresses English musical theatre actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English television presenters Glamour models Nurses from London People educated at Kesteven and Sleaford High School People from Ruskington