Sexy? I'm Just A Nerd..
Aug 23 2008 By Brian Mciver
The UK Daily Record
Original LinkNeighbours Star Imogen Says Despite Her Past As Model And Pop Singer, She's Really A Shy Workaholic
THE words "nerdy" and "shy" are not the normal terms you would use to describe a woman who looks like this.
But even after more than 30 sexy magazine covers and winning the part of the latest sex bomb to go off in Ramsay Street, that's exactly how new Neighbours starlet Imogen Bailey sees herself.
The petite and gorgeous actress, who has been compared to Kylie Minogue thanks to her looks, size and music career, breaks the glamour model mould when describing herself.
Imogen, who plays vampy vixen Nicola West in the day-time Aussie soap, is the newest member of the Neighbours cast and has been described as one of the most glamorous women on the show.
She is a household name in Australia for dozens of sexy cover shoots, reality TV shows and several hit singles.
But, on a flying trip to Scotland this weekend to promote the soap for channel Five, Imogen, 31, denied that she was just a pretty face.
"There was a really small part of me that was worried about how I would be accepted in the show because of the modelling work," she said. "But I'm not some kind of party girl.
"I'm more of a nerd because I'm really focused on the work.
"And when I started in modelling, it was really by accident because I'm very petite at 5ft 2in and very shy, so I was really surprised to be asked.
"But I have loved being on Neighbours because the cast are really great and have given me such a warm welcome.
"I am such a nerd, because you'll see me in the green room making notes and reading all the scripts, even if I'm not in that scene, because I want to learn so much about it all."
Imogen first appeared on our screens earlier this summer as Nicola, the sexy and trouble-making sister of Miranda Parker.
Her character is one of the new arrivals in the soap which has been glammed up in recent months. In Australia, they don't come much more glamorous than the Canberraborn Ms Bailey.
Since starting out as a marketing officer in her early twenties, she got a break in modelling when one of her contacts in the industry asked her to do a sports magazine shoot. That was such a success that she was soon one of the most in-demand magazine models in the southern hemisphere.
That led to being crowned the unofficial queen of reality TV, with stints in the Ozzie Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Survivor, where she came second, and their version of Dancing On Ice.
But like most models, all Imogen really wanted to do was act and, after a year of acting classes, she made her debut in small TV projects and the superhero movie Man-Thing, which she followed with an indie film, Feed, where she won plaudits for her part as a deaf woman.
And late last year, she was signed up for the Neighbours, where she defied the expectations of the casting directors to successfully audition for the role of Nicola.
She said: "I got really great television experience with the reality shows. I think they can be a good way to get experience as long as you pick the right ones.
"Like most Australians, I'd always loved Neighbours and, when the role came up, they actually didn't want to see me for it at first because Nicola is a very complicated character with a lot going on, and they wanted someone more experienced.
"But my agent told them I'd been doing a year of acting classes, and persuaded them to see me. I auditioned for the part last December, and two days later I got the part."
IMOGEN continued: "What I love about Nicola is that she comes in as a sexy siren and is a big trouble-maker.
"But you'll see that a few months down the line there are some real heart-wrenching storylines.
"I was quite nervous at first, because we are all aware of just how popular the show is at home and especially over here.
"But people have been telling me it's been going well and that I'm doing all right.
"One woman said to me that I was doing a good job because she hated my guts, which is a great reaction for my character."
With her petite figure, pretty face and music interests, the obvious comparison for Imogen's career is Kylie.
"To just be mentioned in the same breath as Kylie is a real honour, because she is incredible," said Imogen. "Everyone at Neighbours, and most people in Australia, are still very fond of Kylie and everything she has achieved.
"And personally, as someone who is 5ft 2in, it's great to see someone who is also petite doing so well because I was always told that I was too small to be a model."
But while music is one of her biggest passions, Imogen is not planning to follow the well-worn pop path of Kylie and other Ramsay Street stars, who headed straight to the British charts. But she doesn't rule anything out.
"I don't want to use Neighbours as a launching pad for a pop career," she said. "At the moment, I am just focused on doing well and getting established.
"But the music industry is so competitive that if you have any edge at all, like being in Neighbours or a film or whatever, you'd be mad not to use it.
"If the right project and the right song came along, and if the planets or whatever align the right way, then you never know.
"I'm in the UK for three weeks and I might talk to some music people here. And I might play around in the studio, or I might not. We'll see what happens."
Imogen's Neighbours promotional tour brought her to Scotland for the Edinburgh Television Festival last night.
"The lovely Ian Smith, who plays Harold, was over here recently, and he told us all how well-loved the programme is over here, and how much he loved Scotland," she said.
"When I got off the plane at Edinburgh, this girl came up to me and asked for my autograph. It was so nice to be recognised on the other side of the world.
"I hope I get to see some of Edinburgh. But the thing I wanted to see was men in kilts, and I saw some of them at the airport, so that's taken care of."
Imogen, who says she's too much of a workaholic at the moment for a boyfriend, started her modelling career in men's magazines with bikini and underwear shoots.
She has no illusions about what many people will think of that.
But she is proud of her 10 years in the business, and she used her fame to do as much charity and campaigning work as she could.
Afervent supporter of PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animal), Imogen has highlighted animal rights issues all over the world, including making a protest at Buckingham Palace.
She said: "One of the funny things about doing PETA work and other campaigns and then doing a lot of mens' mag stuff is that I've always had this internal debate.
"Am I being a powerful female or, as some people might think, objectifying myself to men? But it's been nice to do some sexy images that have a strong message.
"But in terms of what people think, I also don't blame anyone for thinking that way about me, because pictures can't speak.
"When people make a judgment on me, I'm OK about that. And sometimes it's fun to prove them wrong."
Neighbours is on daily at 1.45pm and 5.35pm on Five, and repeated at 7pm on Fiver. Thanks to The Scotsman Hotel, 20 North Bridge, Edinburgh, (www.thescotsmanhotel.co.uk 0131 556 5565) where the pictures of Imogen were taken.
