Abigail Rose Clancy (born 10 January 1986), also known as Abbey Clancy, is an English lingerie and catwalk model who made headlines during the 2006 FIFA World Cup as the girlfriend of England football star Peter Crouch.
Biography
Born in Liverpool, Clancy was member of girl band Genie Queen, who were managed by 1980s popstar Andy McCluskey from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). The highlight of their career was supporting boyband Blue on tour. However, the band did not secure a record deal and fell apart.
Britain’s Next Top Model
In the summer of 2006, the second cycle of Living TV’s Britain’s Next Top Model hit UK screens and Clancy featured as one of the thirteen finalists in the competition, competing over 10 weeks for a desired modelling contract. Clancy was determined to go far in the competition, but was criticized for being more glamour than high fashion. Clancy made it to the final runway show with fellow contestant Lianna Fowler, but at the final judging Clancy lost out to Fowler, who because of her look suited to editorial modelling. It was during the show, which coincided with the 2006 FIFA World Cup, that her relationship with football star Peter Crouch was revealed. This, together with Britain’s Next Top Model, caused her to make headlines and start a successful media career.
Since Britain’s Next Top Model
Since appearing on the show, Clancy has modelled for Maxim (December 2006), Nuts (November 2006), OK!, GQ (August 2006), The Sun, the Daily Star, Sugar, Stars on Sunday and numerous other publications. In 2006, Clancy was the face and body of Pussy Glamore‘s winter lingerie collection alongside Elizabeth Jagger in photos shot by Bryan Adams. She has graced the front cover of FHM magazine three times (December 2006, November 2007 and October 2008) and even been featured in FHM Australia.
In May 2007, Clancy appeared on the front cover of Arena magazine, modelled the Triumph Bonneville Motorbike in the Daily Mail newspaper and was ranked 37th in FHM magazine’s annual 100 sexiest women in the world poll of 2007. In 2009, Clancy had moved up to 12th in FHM magazine’s annual 100 sexiest women in the world poll.
Clancy has appeared as a talking head in the documentaries Slave to Fashion and The Ultimate Bikini Guide for Channel 4, as a guest on programmes such as Richard and Judy, The Chris Moyles Show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, GMTV and in her own Reality TV series Abbey and Janice: Beauty and the Best which followed her attempts to break the Los Angeles modelling scene with Janice Dickinson as her mentor. The show aired from 14 May to 18 June 2007 on Living TV and also followed her as she walked the runway for Christian Audigier’s Ed Hardy fashion line. In 2008, the series aired on the US channel Oxygen.
Clancy featured in the third series of Hell’s Kitchen. She was the third contestant to be voted off the show by the public, and the fifth to leave overall.
In 2007 and 2008, Clancy endorsed EuroMillons lottery, modelled for Ultimo lingerie (alongside Sarah Harding and Gemma Atkinson), Matalan lingerie and Lynx in a major print and television advertising campaign. She also released her first official calendar. In 2009, she worked on a campaign promoting Pepsi Max in the UK.
On 10 May 2009, Clancy featured on Chris Moyles’ Quiz Night alongside Patsy Kensit. She won the night’s quiz and was the overall winner of the series.
Clancy also co-hosted the ITV2 series, The Fashion Show with model Michelle de Swarte and George Lamb. Her cousin Chloe Cummings, made the top 13 contestants in the fifth cycle of Britain’s Next Top Model, of which Clancy herself was a guest in episode 8, being the first ex-contestant from the Top Model franchise to appear on the judging panel.
Personal life
After football striker Peter Crouch signed for Liverpool, the pair started dating. Clancy became a fully-fledged WAG, and was part of the England team’s WAG group during 2006 FIFA World Cup. During the tournament, allegations surfaced in several tabloids of cocaine-taking as well as cheating on Crouch with an ex-boyfriend. Clancy was sent home in disgrace half-way through the competition, with Crouch having dumped her by fax, issuing a statement through his lawyer disclaiming any further involvement with her:
In light of this, I wish to make the situation absolutely clear: Abbey and I were in the early stages of a relationship which, for a number of reasons I decided to end, and accordingly informed Abbey of my decision.
Clancy admitted the revelatory drug-taking pictures were taken during her short-lived musical career when she was a teenager.
In the period after the England team exited the World Cup, rumours began to surface that the pair were dating again. Crouch later confirmed this, retracting his legal statement in autumn. The pair are now an infrequent feature of various media stories, focusing on their relatively quiet and stable relationship. Clancy and Crouch announced their engagement on 15 July 2009; he had proposed during a romantic holiday in Sardinia, the couple had been dating for over four years, and both were said to want a “huge wedding”, although no official date has been set.
Clancy briefly dated Jason Statham in 2007, but told The Sun newspaper they were now just friends.
On 22 April 2009, at the FiFi UK Fragrance Awards, Clancy suffered a “wardrobe malfunction”: a nipple emerged from the gaping neckline of her dress while she smiled unknowingly in full view of the paparazzi. “We always thought she was a bit flash,” remarked The Sun.
Abbey Clancy’s brother Sean is also a footballer, playing for Conference North club, Fleetwood.
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