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Imogen Bailey
Imogen Bailey
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Imogen Bailey (born 7 July 1977) is an Australian actress. She has been depicted on the covers of men's magazines, including Ralph, FHM Australia, Black+White. On TV Bailey has appeared in various reality shows, Celebrity Big Brother (July–August 2002), Skating on Thin Ice (2005), and Celebrity Survivor (2006), which was set in Vanuatu. In 2008 she portrayed Nicola West on Australian TV soap opera, Neighbours for six months. As a singer her vocals were featured on the 2003 single "If U Want Me" by United Kingdom dance musician, Michael Woods. It peaked at No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the component, UK dance chart; No. 62 on the ARIA Singles Chart and No. 5 on its Dance Charts. In August 2012 Bailey participated in the second season of the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) TV documentary series, Go Back to Where You Came From. She is an advocate for animal rights and has worked on many People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaigns. Bailey is also an advocate for asylum seekers in Australia. She shares her home base between Sydney and Los Angeles.

Key Information

Biography

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Early years

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Imogen Bailey was born on 7 July 1977 in Canberra.[1][2] For her primary school years she lived in the Pambula region, initially on a farm and later in a milk bar in town.[1][3] At nine years old one of her poems was published in the local newspaper in nearby Merimbula.[1] For secondary education she attended Melrose High School in Pearce and then Phillip College in Canberra.[4] She attended a TAFE institute and studied marketing.[3][5]

Career

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Modelling

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Bailey started her modelling career in the late 1990s, initially photographed for advertisements in fashion magazines, she prepared self-published calendars from 2000 starting with "Imogen Odessey 2000".[3][6] As a sports model, in January 2001, she appeared in Inside Sport.[7] She appeared in bikinis, and eventually nude, for men's magazines including in Ralph, FHM Australia, Black+White .[4][5][8]

She noted that the entertainment industry tended to typecast models: "For me the girl I am in a photo shoot is a character that is portrayed by me for the shoot. If I am doing a sexy shoot then I play the sexy model. Now the problem comes when you want to cross over into other avenues in the industry such as singing or acting and people in the industry see you as just 'sexy'".[5]

Television

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In August 2001 Bailey appeared as Carmen Jefferson for one episode of TV soap opera, Home and Away.[3] She has also appeared in several reality shows including Celebrity Big Brother (July–August 2002),[9] Skating on Thin Ice (2005),[4] and Celebrity Survivor (2006),[10] which was set in Vanuatu in the South Pacific.[11] In 2020 she was inducted into the inaugural Australian Survivor Hall Of Fame.[12]

From January 2008 for six months Bailey portrayed Nicola West on TV soap opera, Neighbours.[6] Prior to landing the role she had undertaken acting lessons for some eight months.[6] The character made her popular with a wider young female audience in Australia. In the series, Nicola is Miranda Parker's younger sister, the character was involved in controversial story lines including an incestuous relationship with an adoptive nephew, Riley Parker.[13]

In August 2012 Bailey participated in the second season of the TV documentary series, Go Back to Where You Came From, on Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).[14][15]

Music

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Bailey's vocals were featured on the 2003 single "If U Want Me" by United Kingdom dance musician, Michael Woods. It peaked at No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the component, UK dance chart.[16] It peaked at No. 62 on the ARIA Singles Chart, No. 5 on its Dance Charts, and No. 2 on its Hitseekers Chart.[17]

In that year she also featured on Supafly's cover version of Prince's "Erotic City".[18] After Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) she provided a track, "Force of Nature", for a charity album by various artists, Hurricane Healing.US: Music That Heals, Vol. 1 (2005).[18][19]

Activism and charity work

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The Hot Potato

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In 2013, Bailey joined John Jarratt and Hunters & Collectors front man Mark Seymour to change thinking on asylum seekers. Bailey became the face of the Hot Potato Campaign, which tackled the issue by visiting ten rural towns in ten days, speaking to people using an ice-breaker of a free hot potato meal. The campaign hoped to dispel myths about asylum seekers which persist in Australia.[20]

Animal rights

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Bailey is outspoken on the subject of animal rights and has lent her likeness to many People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaigns.[2] In February 2007 appeared caged in a makeshift cramped enclosure as part of a campaign for the Human Battery Cage: to highlight "the inhuman practice of chicken battery farming".[21] She told the media that "People expect Australia to be leading the world in animal welfare. There is no excuse for the way they are treated, there are always alternatives".[21] The rights to sit in the cage with Bailey and Lindsay McDougall (guitarist for Australian punk band Frenzal Rhomb), were auctioned off on eBay by Animal Liberation.[22]

Personal life

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At the age of 16 years Bailey left her family home in Canberra, she moved to Sydney and started a personal relationship with an older man, Ahmed, a Lebanese-Australian and practicing Muslim.[3] On the SBS series, Go Back to Where You Came From (August 2012), she revealed that he was her partner for eight years.[4] When staying with his family she regularly wore a hijab, and sometimes a burqa:[3][4]

"She was a bikini model by day who read the Koran by night. She fasted during Ramadan and even, on occasion, wore a burqa".[4][14] Their relationship ended prior to 2001 as she focussed on modelling, "[he] was ready to do the marriage and babies thing. But my career as a model was blossoming, so we went in separate directions".[23]

In September 2008 Bailey revealed she had had anorexia nervosa, in an interview with UK magazine, NOW: "I went through a minor, but still not very good, anorexic stage and actually got down to less than 40 kg".[24] Her weight loss occurred over about a year from 2000 to 2001 and was influenced by "being surrounded by other anorexics and the stress of a break-up from an unfaithful boyfriend".[25] Family and friends intervened and she sought assistance for her condition.[25]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2005 Man-Thing Sarah
2005 Feed Veronica
2007 Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest Princess Chamsous Sabah (voice) English dub
2009 The 7th Hunt Ariel Clarke
2011 Chinese Takeout Hazel Crow Short film
2014 Housemates Ellie Short film
2015 McCracken Dr Fox Short film
2016 Strange Date Judy Short film
2021 The Hunt -

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2000 Popstars Self/Contestant 1 episode
2001 Life Support Dinner Party Guest 1 episode
2001 Home and Away Carmen Jefferson 1 episode
2002 Celebrity Big Brother Self/Contestant 24 episodes
2002 High Octane 3 Presenter
2005 Skating on Thin Ice Self/Contestant
2006 Celebrity Survivor Self/Contestant 12 episodes
2008 Neighbours Nicola West 99 episodes
2009 Life of Riley Ella 1 episode
2013 The Hot Potato: The Road to Transformation Self

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Imogen Bailey (born 7 July 1977) is an Australian , model, and singer. Bailey began her career in modeling, appearing on covers of men's magazines including and , and was voted Australia's sexiest model by in 2001. She transitioned to acting with roles in the as nurse Nicola West, where her character was involved in storylines featuring family scandals and health crises, and in the horror film (2005). Additional credits include the Intergalactic Combat (2007). Bailey has also engaged in advocacy for animal rights and issues, including support for asylum seekers.

Early Life

Childhood and Upbringing

Imogen Bailey was born on 7 July 1977 in , , . She grew up in , attending Melrose High School and Phillip College. In her youth, Bailey described herself as extremely shy and expressed an early aspiration to become a , fueled by her enthusiasm for debating and participation in school debating teams. Her father introduced her to sharemarket trading during this period, sparking a personal interest she continued to explore independently. Prior to her professional career in modeling and , Bailey pursued , studying for three years.

Professional Career

Modeling Work

Imogen Bailey began her modeling career in her early twenties after being approached at a party by Duncan Bruce, editor of Inside Sport magazine. At 155 cm in height, she specialized in glamour and bikini modeling, frequently appearing in Australian men's magazines such as Ralph, , and , often on their covers. In 2001, magazine readers voted Bailey Australia's sexiest model, with the editor noting she won "by a large margin." She also ranked in 's top 10 sexiest women worldwide. Her work extended to nude pictorials in and magazines. From 2006, Bailey contributed a weekly relationship to . The visibility from her modeling facilitated opportunities in television reality shows and acting, though she initially trained in marketing before entering the industry.

Acting Roles

Imogen Bailey's acting credits are primarily in independent films and Australian television, with roles often featuring in horror, , and genres. Her debut screen role was as Sarah, a involved in the film's elements, in the 2005 horror film , directed by and based on the creature. In 2007, she appeared in the low-budget Intergalactic Combat, portraying Tess, the daughter of the protagonist Trojan, in a story centered on interstellar conflict and family dynamics. Bailey's most extended acting engagement occurred in 2008 on the long-running Australian soap opera , where she played the recurring character Nicola West, a nurse entangled in romantic and familial storylines, including an illicit affair and health scares; she appeared in approximately 60 episodes from May to November. Her final credited film role to date was as Ariel Clarke, a central figure in a survival thriller narrative, in the 2009 independent production The 7th Hunt.

Music and Media Appearances

Bailey provided guest vocals for the 2003 dance single "If U Want Me" by British producer Michael Woods, which peaked at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart. Her contributions appeared on additional electronic tracks, including "Erotic City (Club Mix)" and "Burning Up the Night," credited as a featured artist. Beyond modeling and scripted acting, Bailey participated in reality television, competing on the second season of Australian Survivor in 2006, where her strategic gameplay led to her induction into the Australian Survivor Hall of Fame on November 23, 2020. She featured as a participant in the 2011 SBS documentary series Go Back to Where You Came From, undergoing a simulated refugee experience that shifted her views on asylum policy, as discussed in subsequent interviews. Bailey made guest appearances on Australian talk shows, including an early career interview with and promotional spots for on programs like TWStuff in 2008, addressing her role as Nicola West. She also appeared in media segments on , such as a 2014 YouTube interview transitioning from entertainment to advocacy and a 2016 rally speech covered by outlets like the .

Activism and Public Engagement

Animal Rights Campaigns

Imogen Bailey has collaborated extensively with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on campaigns opposing fur production, rodeos, and animal exploitation in entertainment. Beginning around 2003, she participated in an advertisement depicting her with simulated whip marks to highlight abuses in animal agriculture and testing, crouching naked under the slogan "Shackled. Beaten. Abused." Her involvement intensified in subsequent years, including a 2005 photo shoot protesting the in , , where she posed to draw attention to animal injuries during the event. In anti-fur efforts, Bailey featured in PETA's "Hands off the Buns" campaign, posing nude with a to urge against purchasing or fur-trimmed clothing, emphasizing that "bunnies' backs should never be exposed for ." She reprised similar imagery in 2008 ads, including one portraying her with angelic wings to critique the trade's cruelty. Bailey also advocated against rodeos, protesting bull-riding events in after five years with PETA, criticizing the practice for causing animal stress and injury through electric prods and flank straps. Bailey extended her advocacy to oppose factory farming and circus practices. In 2008, she joined PETA's campaign against , stating "chicks are more than breasts and legs" to protest debeaking and overcrowding in operations. She supported anti-circus protests, including a 2004 initiative where her image was reenacted to highlight abuse in performances. For her contributions, PETA awarded her a humanitarian recognition as the sole international recipient for animal advocacy efforts. Bailey's tactics often involved to garner media attention, aligning with PETA's strategy of shock-value protests, though she has described her participation as driven by personal commitment to exposing industry realities.

Asylum Seeker Advocacy

Imogen Bailey serves as an ambassador for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), an organization providing support to refugees and asylum seekers in . She has expressed lifelong commitment to the cause, stating that her motivation stems from a belief that many Australians lack access to accurate information on asylum seekers and that it would be irresponsible not to address this gap. In August 2012, Bailey participated in the second season of the SBS documentary series Go Back to Where You Came From, a in which participants with varied views on refugees retraced the journeys of asylum seekers from camps in countries like and to . She described eagerly accepting the invitation to join, viewing it as an opportunity to engage directly with the issue. Following the series, in September 2012, she launched the website "Lessons Overboard," which documented asylum seeker journeys featured in the program and aimed to educate the public on their experiences. Bailey continued her advocacy through public campaigns, including the November 2012 "Make The Call" initiative, which encouraged Australians to contact politicians to protect asylum-seeking children from or detention. In August 2013, she joined an ASRC road trip event in , distributing hot potatoes as part of a "bust the myths" campaign alongside actors and musician to challenge misconceptions about asylum seekers. By July 2013, reflecting on the documentary a year later, she voiced mortification at Australia's federal policies on boat arrivals and offshore processing. In July 2015, Bailey criticized both major political parties for regressing on the asylum seeker debate, arguing it ignored the underlying humanitarian crisis. She escalated her involvement in February 2016 by speaking at Sydney's "Let Them Stay" protests, which drew thousands nationwide against the deportation of 267 asylum seekers resettled from Nauru. During the event, she urged the crowd to phone Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's office with the message "we want to let them stay."

Charitable Initiatives

Bailey participated in the 2006 Australian reality series Celebrity Survivor, a charity edition of the survival competition where contestants represented specific nonprofits and competed to direct prize money toward their causes. She aligned with the Cambodia Foundation, an organization supporting community development and aid projects in Cambodia, though she was eliminated prior to the finale and did not secure the $100,000 top prize for her chosen beneficiary. The series overall generated funds and awareness for participants' nominated charities through viewer engagement and sponsorships. In addition to televised fundraisers, Bailey has appeared at charitable sporting events, including the Gerard McCabe Celebrity Tennis Challenge, which raised proceeds for medical and community support initiatives. These appearances leveraged her public profile to promote donor participation, though specific donation totals from her involvement remain undocumented in available records.

Controversies and Criticisms

Casting and Role Controversies

Bailey's portrayal of nurse Nicola West in the Australian soap opera from May to November 2008 marked her first major acting role. The character, introduced as the younger sister of Miranda Parker, became central to several dramatic arcs, including a romantic affair with her adoptive nephew, Riley Parker, portrayed by Aidan Fennessy. This incestuous storyline, revealed in episodes aired around May 2008, provoked public backlash. The Australian Family Association condemned it as "sick and opportunistic," arguing that it failed to reflect community standards and instead catered to scriptwriters' fantasies. National president David d'Lima highlighted the episode's depravity, noting it would shock viewers and represented a new low for the series. The plot, involving adoptive familial relations rather than biological ones, did not mitigate the criticism, which echoed prior objections to similar themes in the show's history. Nicola's arcs extended to an exposure scare following a break-in and subsequent decline, including obsessive and institutionalization, further intensifying the role's provocative elements. Bailey, transitioning from modeling for publications like Australia and , faced no reported casting disputes for , though her prior image as a "bikini babe" later influenced perceptions of her suitability for serious media roles. In 2012, Bailey's selection as a participant in the second season of SBS documentary series Go Back to Where You Came From encountered internal resistance. Producers expressed reluctance due to her modeling background, viewing it as mismatched with the program's focus on experiences; Bailey noted the "controversial" aspect of her "bikini babe" persona clashing with the topic's gravity. Despite this, she joined participants like and Peter Reith, undergoing simulated refugee journeys that amplified her advocacy but underscored ongoing debates over her public image in formats.

Political Activism Backlash

Bailey's advocacy for asylum seekers, prominently featured through her participation in the 2012 SBS documentary series Go Back to Where You Came From, unfolded against Australia's polarized debate, where proponents of strict controls, including offshore processing and boat turnbacks, dominated policy under both major parties. Her involvement drew initial internal skepticism from producers, who questioned the suitability of casting a former glamour model for a program addressing grave humanitarian concerns, fearing it might trivialize the topic. Director Lincoln Howes advocated strongly for her inclusion, later affirming her depth beyond public perceptions. In August 2013, Bailey joined actors and musician in the Hot Potato Campaign, a 10-day across rural towns aimed at countering prevalent myths—such as asylum seekers being "illegal immigrants, terrorists, or queue jumpers"—to foster more empathetic public discourse. The initiative operated in a context of robust support for Tony Abbott's "stop the boats" , which emphasized deterrence over humanitarian processing, potentially exposing advocates to criticism from those viewing such efforts as undermining priorities. Bailey acknowledged the inherent controversy of her , linking it to both her modeling history and the issue's divisiveness, stating it challenged expectations of her public persona. In 2015, she critiqued bipartisan approaches for regressing on the , urging renewed focus on refugee rights amid ongoing policy enforcement. Documented direct personal backlash remains sparse, with reactions largely confined to the broader contentiousness of pro-refugee stances during a period of heightened electoral emphasis on border protection.

Advocacy Tactics and Impacts

Bailey employed provocative visual tactics in her animal rights advocacy, particularly through collaborations with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In a 2007 campaign against the fur trade, she posed nude with the slogan "Hands off the Buns," drawing parallels between human vulnerability and animal exploitation to highlight industry practices. Similar approaches appeared in anti-rodeo advertisements, where she simulated distress to underscore injuries to animals like bulls, which PETA claimed occurred frequently at such events, sometimes necessitating . These methods relied on shock imagery, including simulated whip marks and shackles in related PETA promotions featuring Bailey, to evoke and media coverage. Critics, including feminist ethicists, have condemned these tactics for objectifying women, arguing that campaigns emphasizing gendered and racialized depictions of female nudity undermine animal advocacy by reinforcing stereotypes of female bodies as disposable props, potentially alienating broader audiences and diluting the message on . Impacts included heightened short-term publicity for PETA initiatives, such as Bailey's involvement in launching educational websites on animal issues in , but no verifiable data links her efforts to measurable reductions in fur consumption or rodeo attendance. Broader analyses of PETA's strategies note they compel public confrontation with animal abuse but often provoke backlash for prioritizing over reform. For issues, Bailey's tactics centered on experiential media and direct community engagement. She participated in the 2011 season of SBS's Go Back to Where You Came From, immersing herself in simulated journeys from conflict zones to , which she credited with shifting her perspective from political disengagement to active advocacy. In 2013, she joined the Hot Potato campaign, touring ten rural n towns over ten days to challenge community myths—such as asylum seekers being "queue jumpers" or security risks—through informal discussions. These efforts amplified voices within pro-refugee circles, including public criticisms of government policies like boat turnbacks, which Bailey described in as regressive responses ignoring humanitarian realities. However, they yielded limited policy impacts, as persisted with offshore detention and deterrence measures under successive governments, reflecting entrenched public and bipartisan support for border controls amid concerns over irregular arrivals exceeding 20,000 by boat in peak years prior to policy shifts. The series and campaigns sparked polarized debates but did not demonstrably alter opinion polls favoring stricter measures, with some viewing participant transformations as anecdotal rather than representative of scalable solutions.

Personal Life

Relationships

Bailey married Robb Beckmann on January 3, 2018, following their engagement announcement in August 2016. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Luna, in early June 2020, which Bailey described as a "miracle baby" after challenges. Prior to her marriage, Bailey was romantically linked to Australian actor in early 2015, with the pair spotted together at events including the ASTRA Awards in March of that year. The relationship was publicly noted for Corr's visible affection, including an incident at where he expressed frustration over missing a flight amid their involvement. No further public details on the duration or end of this association have been reported.

Health and Well-being

In the early 2000s, during her initial years as a model, Bailey developed , reducing her weight to under 40 kilograms over approximately one year. She later described this period as a "minor, but still not very good, anorexic stage," attributing it in part to industry pressures on women's changes post-adolescence. Following family intervention, Bailey pursued therapy and adopted practices to address the disorder. Bailey has also publicly discussed ongoing struggles with anxiety, particularly in social settings and amid career transitions. In reflecting on these challenges, she noted difficulties with eating disorders persisting alongside anxiety, which impacted her interpersonal skills in large groups. To manage her mental health, Bailey incorporated women's circle practices, , and into her routine, crediting them with improving her sense of connection and reducing isolation. By , she had trained as a birth and end-of-life , framing this shift as a means to support others' while fostering her own emotional resilience. These activities reportedly enhanced her overall feelings of through and .

Career Works

Film Roles

Bailey debuted in feature films with the role of Sarah in the American-Australian Man-Thing (2005), a low-budget adaptation of the character directed by , where her character encounters supernatural elements in a swamp setting. She followed this with the part of Tess, the daughter of the protagonist Trojan, in the Intergalactic Combat (2007), a production involving interstellar battles. In 2009, Bailey portrayed Ariel Clarke, the deaf sister of the lead character, in the Australian slasher horror The 7th Hunt, directed by Jon Cohen, in which a group of friends faces a series of ritualistic killers at an abandoned school; the film received mixed reviews for its gore but limited production values. Her other film appearances include voice work as Princess Chamsous Sabah in the French animated fantasy Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest (2007), directed by . Bailey's film work has primarily consisted of supporting roles in independent horror and genre productions, often emphasizing physicality and vulnerability in survival scenarios.

Television Roles

Bailey portrayed the role of Nicola West, a nurse with a tumultuous storyline involving romantic entanglements and an diagnosis scare, in the Australian soap opera from May 5, 2008, to late 2008, spanning approximately six months and marking her first major acting role. In addition to scripted work, Bailey participated as a contestant in several Australian reality television programs. She competed in Celebrity Big Brother during its July–August 2002 season, a charity edition hosted by Gretel Killeen featuring celebrity housemates in a Big Brother-style format. She also appeared on Skating on Thin Ice in 2005, a celebrity ice skating competition series. In 2006, Bailey placed third overall on Celebrity Survivor Australia, enduring challenges on the Moso tribe before a tribe swap and subsequent eliminations. Later, she featured as a participant in the documentary-style social experiment series Go Back to Where You Came From starting in 2011, which explored immigration perspectives by simulating refugee journeys.

References

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