How Abbey Clancy went from failed pop star to £3.4m fortune – & the England footballer she had her eye on BEFORE Crouch

ONLY one name stands out on the list of girls from Britain’s Next Top Model in 2006 – and it isn’t the winner.

Runner-up Abbey Clancy has proved to be the talent contest’s true champ, amassing a £3.5million fortune.

Her rise to the top after coming second to Lianna Fowler has had a helping hand from Mother Nature, which has kept her looking just as beautiful as she did when she was 20.

Abbey, 36, wowed fans recently when she modelled her swimwear range for Tesco — but it has been a far from easy ride for the wife of footballer Peter Crouch.

Liverpool-born Abbey, the second oldest of four kids, turned to modelling after a short-lived pop career in the musical trio Genie Queen, formed by Atomic Kitten creator and former Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark singer Andy McCluskey.

Then just 17, she only had eyes for one footballer — and it wasn’t 6ft 7in Crouchy. She gushed: “For me, the perfect fella is Joe Cole. He’s not only a brilliant player, he’s also got fantastic legs and smouldering eyes. He’s all man.”

While her band failed to get a hit, the blonde beauty turned heads elsewhere — and not just on the catwalk.

Aged 20 she met Peter — known for his 6ft 7in frame and dancing goal celebration — on a night out. She recalled: “The first time I saw the robot dance I was in bed watching the match and I thought, ‘What the hell is he doing?’”

On the early days of her relationship with the footballer, who was playing for Liverpool, she has said: “When I met Pete he didn’t even have bedding on his bed. Not even a pillow case.

“He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.”

She soon slotted into the wag scene, becoming pals with Steven Gerrard’s fiancee Alex Curran.

Abbey already knew Wayne Rooney’s wife Coleen from childhood.

She said: “I got on with all of them. I was the new girl but they were all really amazing.

“I know Coleen because I used to go to dancing with her when we were little.”

‘Bizarre feeling’

Within months, Abbey was hobnobbing with the likes of Coleen, Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham in Baden-Baden, Germany, as the wags joined the England squad for the 2006 World Cup.

But the wives and girlfriends’ extravagant spending and partying during the tournament caused a stir.

One shopping trip in the town reportedly racked up a £57,000 bill.

And it is claimed they ordered seven bottles of champagne, 23 lemon or Red Bull vodkas, 12 glasses of lager, four sambucas, five orange liqueurs, a Bacardi and Coke and three packets of cigarettes in one evening.

Peter and Abbey now have daughters Sophia Ruby, 11, and Liberty Rose, seven, and sons, Johnny, four, and three-year-old Jack.

In June 2011, three months after Sophia Ruby was born, Abbey and Peter tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Leicestershire.

The pair have stuck together and worked hard at their marriage, cementing theirs as one of the strongest in showbiz.

And Abbey has fiercely protected her family from the glare of the media during difficult times.

She said: “Even through all the s**t, I didn’t speak to anyone. We’ve kept our private life private.

“I think my mum and dad’s divorce affected me more than I let on. I don’t like being weak in front of my mum, or anyone for that matter. I don’t like crying.

Fiercely protective

In June 2015 the couple welcomed their second daughter Liberty Rose, followed by their son Johnny in January 2018.

Throughout her marriage, Abbey has juggled motherhood with modelling and TV work.

She has graced the covers of men’s mags FHM and Sports Illustrated.
Fresh off the back of Britain’s Next Top Model she had her own reality show, Abbey And Janice — Beauty And The Best.

In episode one, eccentric former supermodel and catwalk mentor Janice Dickinson ordered her to swim in a tank full of sharks in a Liverpool aquarium.

It was bonkers Noughties TV gold and led to Abbey presenting ITV2’s The Fashion Show in 2008.

That year she set her sights on another goal — appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, desperate for success in the BBC dancing contest.

She vowed: “If I went on it, I’d have to win.”

She added: “Pete is literally the best dancer. He’s terrific.

“He’s got some moves. If both of us were competing on Strictly he’d wipe the floor with me. How embarrassing would that be?”

Her dreams came true in 2013 when she finally had the chance to show off her footwork to hit the Strictly dance floor — for a reported £35,000 fee.

She was paired with newcomer pro Aljaz Skorjanec in his first series of the show.

Together they wowed judges with their sizzling chemistry and mastery of the waltz, quickstep and even the samba.

‘We hated each other’

And she beat TV host Susanna Reid to the Glitterball trophy.

Her skimpy outfits and saucy routines with Aljaz helped to pull in more than nine million viewers to the series opener — beating rival The X Factor in the ratings. But behind the scenes Abbey was a nervous wreck.

She said: “I loved practising in the rehearsal room. Then when I had to do the live show I would have rather died.

“We did a live tour in all the big arenas and I hated it. I hated the crowd cheering me. It was such a bizarre feeling.”

The dance floor success boosted her fashion career and she has worked with underwear line Ultimo, been the face of campaigns for Avon and Charlotte Tilbury, and collaborated on collections for Matalan and Lipsy.

Style icon

Abbey is now often touted as a style icon, though she cringes at her outfits from the Noughties, when she would wear “too thick make-up, too many hair extensions” and “spent too much time on the sunbed”.

Her impressive telly CV also includes presenting Britain’s Next Top Model, plus regular appearances on panel shows Celebrity Juice and A League Of Their Own.

She made her film debut in Absolutely Fabulous The Movie in 2016 — and that same year her romantic comedy novel Remember My Name was published.

When Peter retired from football at the age of 38 in 2019 the Crouches were a family of five and decided to set up home in Surrey.

But they hit a rocky patch when Abbey was expecting youngest child Jack and they had to work on their marriage.

Abbey explained: “We hated each other at that point so I don’t even know how I got pregnant.

“I remember being scared to tell Pete when I found out. I was on a photoshoot and the photographer, a woman who I work with a lot, said, ‘Your boobs look really big’. And I said, ‘Actually I was thinking that’. Then I looked at my diary and thought, ‘Oh, no’.’’

But since then, Abbey has said: “Pete is amazing and does everything for the kids. I’ve never had to ask him.

“The house does look as though it’s been burgled when he’s been in charge, though.”

The couple have ruled out a fifth child — despite Abbey admitting she was “done” after their third.

They looked happier than ever last week when they were snapped cosying up together at a star- studded bash in France.

And judging by how sensational Abbey looks modelling her latest beachwear collection, things are going swimmingly.