Jodie Marsh

Jodie Marsh, (born 23 December 1978) is an English glamour model and TV personality. She has appeared topless in many tabloid newspapers and has appeared on her own reality TV show, Totally Jodie Marsh. She has been involved in many feuds with fellow "celebrities".

Early life

Marsh was born in Brentwood, Essex in England to a middle-class family, her father John Marsh running his own scaffolding business. She has one younger brother, Jordan. In her autobiography Keeping It Real published in 2005, Marsh jokingly mentions that it is ironic that her brother shares his name with celebrity and glamour model Jordan with whom she has had a long-running feud.

Marsh's nose was disfigured as the result of a childhood hockey accident. During her schooling at Brentwood School, a public school (which attended with Frank Lampard) this made her, she claims, the target of bullying which caused her to consider suicide . She underwent plastic surgery at 15..

Some years later, Jodie Marsh entered the lap dance and stripping industry at the Stringfellow's nightclub. She also attempted to obtain work as a Page 3 girl, but was initially rejected., and has since framed the rejection letter.

Her big break came in January 2003 when she featured in ITV documentary Essex Wives.

Rivalry with other celebrities

Marsh is well known for her heated feuds with other glamour models and celebrities. Rival glamour-model Jordan (Katie Price) has described her nose as resembling "a builder's elbow" and likened her breasts to a "spaniel's ears". Marsh described Jordan's nose as "hooked as a witch's".

In January 2006 she took part in Celebrity Big Brother. When fellow contestant Chantelle Houghton married Preston, Marsh took an opportunity to draw criticism about their marriage as a publicity stunt. She agreed to do this herself for a TV show with MTV in 2007, "Totally Jodie Marsh - Who'll take her up the Aisle?" drawing criticism from far and wide.

During interviews, journalists commonly mention Jordan in order to spice the rivalry between the two. Marsh draws comparison between herself and Jordan stating what their abilities, and why she is superior to Jordan. During episode 4 of Totally Jodie Marsh, a Star Magazine journalist compared them. Marsh replied that other than that they are models and used to date the same men, Jordan doesn't do charity work, ride a motorbike, participate in extreme sports, care about animals, isn't vegetarian, hasn't an IQ of 138, and didn't script her own autobiography, while Marsh states she does them all, despite Jordan counting horse riding as a hobby.

Marsh often draws comparison with minor celebrities such as Abi Titmuss and Rebecca Loos in a way to make them appear inferior during interviews, describing them as "famous for nothing".

Marsh boasts on her blog of blagging a free biker jacket, looking sexy in motorcycle leathers and having a PETA banner on her website proclaiming Animals are not ours to wear and also has leather seats in her car.

Relationships and sex life

It has been widely reported in British tabloid newspapers that Marsh has had a string of relationships with other celebrities including Fran Cosgrave, Calum Best, Westlife member Kian Egan, temporary Coronation Street actor Scott Wright, ex-Blazin' Squad singer and Celebrity Big Brother 2005 runner-up Kenzie., and Dave Thorogood (A Music Teacher from Essex)[3]

In December 2006, Marsh announced her engagement to Brentwood DJ David Doyle, after dating for eleven days . Eschewing the traditional engagement ring, Marsh instead tattooed Doyle's full name on her hand and the couple appeared together in OK! magazine announcing their plan to marry in a fetish ceremony in a dungeon. The relationship ended between late December and mid-January 2007 with Doyle blaming Marsh's constant drinking and poor personal hygiene. Jodie claimed that Doyle had been unfaithful. Marsh has since had her tattoo transformed into a tribal band with rosary beads.

Prior to this, Marsh claimed she had a sexual relationship with two men, describing it as a "threesome relationship" [4]. This ended when their respective girlfriends found out, though Marsh claims to have enjoyed the experience, and would prefer to be with five men in future[5].

In May 2007 a website was launched Marry Me Jodie Marsh with the teaser "I'm getting married this September... Only problem is that I don't have a man!" Men were invited to submit an application for a series of open auditions for the chance to marry Marsh that September. MTV filmed the search and subsequent wedding

Marsh married Jordan's former boyfriend Matt Peacock on 1 September 2007 at Sugar Hut, an Essex nightclub. A second ceremony in her mother’s back garden was shown on MTV on 2 September 2007. Believing that it would bring lots of paparazzi she hired forty security guards but only one photographer turned up. The only celebrities to turn up were Syd Little and Linsey Dawn McKenzie.

In the final episode of the TV show, MTV executives confronted Marsh and Matt Peacock with taped footage of Peacock's audition claiming he and Marsh had been dating for months and living together for three months, contrary to the show's claims. After the MTV executives left, Peacock told Marsh that she had lied to MTV. MTV proceeded with the show. However, one of Marsh's staff members refused to attend the wedding because he thought it a sham, given Marsh and Peacock had lied about their relationship.[6] After the wedding, Marsh criticised her PA staff on her blog, claiming they were MTV employees.[7] Apparently Marsh staged the wedding to claim bonuses and sold her wedding photos and story to 'OK' magazine. Everything was paid for by sponsors who were mislead into thinking that her wedding was genuine. [8]

Television and film appearances

Advertising poster for her 2007 show, as seen on the wall of the London Underground.

She has taken part in many reality Television shows, including Trust Me I'm A Holiday Rep (with other celebs such as Syd Little), Channel 4's The Games , E4's Fool around...with Jodie Marsh on two occasions, as a house guest in the short lived Five series Back to Reality, Sky One's Celebrity Penthouse and the one-off documentary Jodie Marsh: Close up.

In 2004, Marsh appeared as a contestant on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link.

In autumn 2006 she appeared in a It's Me or the Dog celebrity special where it was revealed she owned six dogs but left four of them with her parents to look after.

Her most recent television appearances to date include a stint on The All Star Talent Show where she performed a ballroom dance. She won her heat, gaining a place in the final where she was placed fourth out of six in a public vote. In November 2006 she appeared on Celebrity Scissorhands.

She has played herself on two occasions in the series A Bear's Tail, and has a small role in the independent British film Are You Ready for Love? (2006).

Marsh has made appearances in the music videos "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" as part of the Girls of FHM and "When You Wasn't Famous" by The Streets.

Marsh began presenting her own television series, Get A Life for Living TV which commenced 1 March 2007. It was cancelled after two episodes, due to poor viewing figures.

It was subsequently announced Jodie would have her own MTV reality TV show titled Totally Jodie Marsh: Who'll Take Her Up the Aisle? in which she searches for a husband. It would later turn out that the wedding was a sham and the happy couple were engaged prior to filming.

Celebrity Big Brother

In January 2006, she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. She clashed with a number of housemates, most notably Pete Burns, Michael Barrymore and George Galloway who grew tired of her describing her sexual experiences, and alleged victim mentality. She appeared, however, to establish a friendship with fellow housemate Chantelle Houghton. This friendship ended when the show finished. On Friday 13 January, Marsh was first to be voted out of the Big Brother house - with 8 out of 10 possible nominations (the highest ever margin) from her fellow housemates, but only 41% of the public vote. She cried during her post-eviction interview with Davina McCall describing the experience as "horrific" and her housemates as "vile jealous bullies".

Writing

Marsh wrote a weekly column for celebrity gossip magazine Sneak until its closure in August 2006 and was previously Zoo Weekly magazine's 'Sexpert', advising men on sex-related issues. Her choice as an agony aunt angered some established professionals.

Her website includes an online blog, which she claims to update almost daily and which has developed a cult following for its unintentional humour. The blog has caused its fair share of controversy, in particular with the charity BeatBullying (which she represented).

Marsh's autobiography Keeping It Real hit the top ten sales chart in the UK.

Other controversy

In 2004, Jodie Marsh complained to the owners of the website Digital Spy, threatening libel action if a thread in their forum dedicated to her was not removed. They complied, though a number of 'anti-fan' threads sprung up in the original's place.

Jodie Marsh once sold a story to "The News of the World" claiming that she had enjoyed a sexual liaison with Chelsea F.C midfielder Frank Lampard. She was later forced to retract this story and make a formal apology to Mr Lampard and his family.

On 24 March 2006, Liberal Democrats Education Spokesman Phil Willis questioned Schools Minister Jacqui Smith in Parliament as to whether Marsh should be permitted access to schools in promoting her BeatBullying work, describing her blog as "the language of an appalling bully". Smith responded that it was a decision in the hands of individual headteachers. The BeatBullying website now no longer lists Jodie Marsh as a supporter.

Marsh described Willis as "just a sad, past-it old wannabe trying to get famous off my back". Willis later told the Daily Mail:[9] "I just think we are descending really to the lowest common denominator when we are actually putting people on a pedestal like Jodie Marsh to send into our schools. I think we could find better role models."

On 11 August 2006, Marsh was booed by spectators at the annual Jersey Battle of Flowers Parade where she was a celebrity guest. The combined fee for Marsh and the parade's other celebrity guest, Andy Abraham, was estimated as £20,000- it has been suggested that this expense and the quality of the celebrity it bought contributed to the negative reception.

In 2006, Jodie hit Local and National Newspapers [10] when she had a short-term relationship with her brother's bandmate and music teacher Dave Thorogood who teaches in Chelmsford, Essex at Moulsham High School.

On 28 March 2007, she complained to the host of the site www.jodiemush.co.uk , again threatening legal action but this time over copyright infringement. The site was temporarily pulled.

On 16 May 2007, she stood atop a giant wedding cake in Leicester Square in London, dressed in a white tutu, with two white belts covering her nipples and carrying a bridal bouquet. She told reporters she was looking for a man to marry. She was interviewed by journalist Jody Thompson. Disagreeing with Thompson, Marsh said of her, on camera, "I actually wanted to punch her in the face. Lesbian, blatantly! That short hair! And butch, looks like a man . . . She was a bitch from hell, she was a complete cow." - much to a fury of gay rights groups. MTV broadcast the clip.

On 11th October 2007 Jo Leigh of SEM plc confirmed that they had ended their representation of Marsh, because she was notably missing from their list of clients on their website.

On the 13 December 2007 it was announced by Heatworld.com that Marsh and Peacock have decided on divorce, just three months and twelve days in to their marriage. Marsh said "It's over, he's moved out and that' s the end of it. "Heatworld.com's announcement of this inadvertently scuppered Jodie and Matt's plans to sell their sides of the break up story to magazines/newspapers . As she signed a agreement prior to wedding Matt Peacock, he will get half of Jodie’s house in any divorce settlement.

Rankings

• In 2006, Marsh was ranked the UK's 8th richest Celebrity chav with a fortune of £2million.
• In 2005, Marsh came No.5 in Loaded's The Sex List 2005.
• Marsh has been voted by readers of Daily Star as Britain's 3rd most hated woman, behind Myra Hindley, Rosemary West, and beating the likes of Maxine Carr.

External links

• Official website
• You wish I was your bird (Official Myspace page)
• The Real Jodie Marsh