	Date added: 20 January 2015

Thanks For The Mammaries!

The days when our Mel was The Page 3 Girl Of The Thrillenium!

It's put a smile on the face of Sun readers since 1970 but the news is that Page 3 is no more.

After much controversy and criticism over the years it would appear Rupert Murdoch has finally succumbed to pressure and told his glamour models to 'cover up'. No more bear breasts and topless shots of young girls in provocative poses will appear in the UK's most popular daily tabloid.

A good opportunity then to look back on the days when a girl from Swindon was the nation's favourite topless pin up - Melinda Messenger.

A rise to fame that's a real-life "overnight success" as it is possible to get.

Now a well established TV personality and a mum of three, Melinda was little-known outside her home town of Swindon until 28 January 1997 when she caught the eye of the associate editor of the Daily Star after appearing in an eye-catching advertisement for Glevum Windows in Gloucester.

She suddenly found herself in a revealing centre-page spread which started a tabloid frenzy that had all the red-tops clambering over each other for her attention.

The Star's main rival, The Sun, immediately stepped in and 24 hours later had christened her "The Page Three Girl for the Thrillenium" and splashed most of her assets over most of their pages.

Before the week was out, it would have been difficult to find anybody who hadn't heard of Melinda - even if few knew where she had come from.

Born in Swindon on 23rd February, 1971, Melinda is five feet, four inches tall and has vital statistics for those who want to know of 34DD, 22, 34.

Launch pad:

post Page 3, Melinda has become one of the most popular faces on TV

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Melinda went on to appear on Page 3 until 2000 but was lured back in 2008 after splitting from her hubby Wayne, and becoming the face of lingerie giant Ultimo.

And eleven years on from her first splash, you have to hand it to her - she still has what it took to sell newspapers. Even though she wasn't quite baring all.

We'd also like to say thanks to Richard Wintle of Calyx Multimedia for delving in to his archives late last night to bring us pictures of two of the most famous Page 3 girls ever on visits to Swindon.

Sam Fox, Katie Price & Linda Lusardi

80s sensation Sam Fox nearly brought the town centre to a standstill when she opened the new Fosters menswear store in the Brunel Shopping Centre in 1985.

Here she is clearly enjoying all the fuss and attention.

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In 2008, Katie Price aka Price also proved a massive pull when signing books in WH Smith.

And most recently, we had the pleasure of meeting Linda Lusardi in Swindon, when she accompanied her daughter, Lucy Kane, in a publicity shoot for the Wyvern Panto.