Who Is The Most Famous Celebrity Ever To Pose Naked?

There was a time when seeing a lady naked in public was seriously taboo. 

After all, Lady Godiva’s infamous streak on horseback through the streets of Coventry in 1065 spawned the term ‘peeping Tom’, the Tom in question being struck blind in divine retribution for daring to have a sneaky look when the rest of the townsfolk kept their backs turned to protect the noblewoman’s modesty.

As it happens, some regard the story of Lady Godiva as apocryphal and the Peeping Tom tale did not appear until the 18th century, but even if it were true, it was too early for the whole business to be captured on camera.

However, while Lady Godiva is essentially famous simply because she took her clothes off, many people who were already famous with their clothes on have dared to bare all, giving nude glamour photography a whole new dimension of glamour.

Examples include the Australian soap star and singer Danii Minogue, who started out being famous for being Kylie’s sister but soon made a name for herself. She may have been helped - and has certainly not hindered - by her 1995 photoshoot for Playboy Magazine.

Apart from the tidy fee she received at a time when money was tight, she recently told The Guardian she still has no regrets, describing it as “a complete feminist move”. She is even unfazed by the thought that her 12-year-old son could see the pictures online.

There have certainly been plenty of other famous nude celebs. Playboy alone has a back catalogue of 25 famous women, according to She Knows. The list includes Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell, Kim Basinger, Madonna and Paris Hilton. Perhaps the most famous of all to appear was Marilyn Monroe, although she was far from naked in her pictures.

Of course, this is just one of many publications to feature nude celebrities. Just who might count as the most famous is a matter of opinion, but it is clear that when it comes to posing au naturel, Lady Godiva would be in good company if she were around today.