Penny Lancaster Biography

Name : Penny Lancaster

Date of Birth : 15 March 1971, Chelmsford, Essex, England, UK

Height : 6' 1" (1.85 m)

Occupation : English model

Born on March 15, 1971, in Chelmsford, Essex, England, we need not look far to discover where Penny Lancaster got her athletic ability and love for fitness. Both her parents were avid gym-goers throughout her childhood, and her brother Oliver achieved his longtime goal of becoming a fitness instructor. Heavily involved in dance -- tap, ballet and modern -- from the age of 6 onward, Lancaster had early dreams of becoming a professional. By the time she was 16 years old, however, Penny was so lithe and tall that she felt aerobics, not dance, would be a better route. Six years later, Lancaster was so dedicated to aerobics and the lifestyle that came with it that she decided to turn this love into a career.

Lancaster gained boost when she was hired as the face of designer lingerie brand Ultimo for a reported £200,000 in 2002. Despite her success at promoting the brand and rising its profile in the UK, her contract was not renewed when it ended in 2004. In the meantime, she also worked as a photographer for “Hello! Magazine.”

Barely flustered by her want of modeling work, Lancaster turned to her other passion, aerobics, and created a fitness DVD called “Ultimate Body Workout” (2003). The training tape, which detailed her years of knowledge as a fitness trainer, sold extremely well. Around this time, she sang and danced in “Tonight's The Night,” a musical based on Rod Stewart's hits, for a charity event.

In 2005, Lancaster led a line of hair removal products called “Hot Legs,” Stewart's nickname for her and the title of one of his many hit songs. In 2007, Lancaster became one of 14 celebrities to participate on “Strictly Come Dancing Series Five,” a British television show featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. She and her partner, Ian Waite, were voted off in the Week 6.