STRIPPING for a photoshoot, supermodel Lara Stone shows the world the collapse of her marriage to David Walliams is now a distant memory.
The pictures may well bring back painful memories for comic David, 45. In 2015 Lara, 33, had writhed topless with singer Justin Bieber in a series of erotic pictures.
Just two months later she and David had split — leaving some to question whether the Calvin Klein shoot had proved too much for her jealous husband.
And now Lara has clearly bounced back.
Fashion expert Sam Brown, who has been in the business more than 20 years, told the Sun on Sunday: “This is the epitome of Lara’s confidence returning.
“She’s had a tough time personally but she’s looking phenomenal now.
“It’s been hard but she’s telling the world, ‘This is the real me and I’m having fun’.
“These new pictures are fabulous femininity at its highest. She is every man’s — and every woman’s — dream.”
When Lara and David met in 2009 she had just emerged from a stint in rehab to combat her drinking.
Despite being 12 years her senior, David began dating Lara and, having proposed by slipping a £100,000 diamond ring inside a burger bun, the pair wed in May 2010.
“I like the feeling of belonging somewhere and finding your place in the world. Now I go out for dinner but I don’t really enjoy parties.
“David and I don’t really drink — he likes it more than me. This week we’re in every night. That’s good for me.”
But their domestic bliss was short-lived. After regaining her figure following the birth of Alfred, now three, Lara burst back on to the scene, sprawling beneath pop star Justin for that Calvin Klein advert.
It was widely reported that the 23-year-old singer asked Lara out on a date, not realising she was married — although she turned him down.
More pictures published around the same time saw Lara in a clinch with Fifty Shades Of Grey actor Jamie Dornan.
Lara said: “I don’t mind being naked in front of people, that’s fine. On a shoot, no one is staring at the naked model. They’re doing a job and they’ve seen it all 100,000 times before. No one’s interested.”
But her husband was.
When the Bieber pictures appeared in January 2015 he joked: “Why has someone photoshopped Justin Bieber’s head on to what is clearly my body?”
Just two months later the couple attempted a trial separation, with Lara leaving their North London home with their son and dog Bert.
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As a pal claimed Lara hated David’s cross-dressing antics on TV, as well as his perceived “flirting” with good friend and BGT co-star Simon Cowell, he told friends he hoped the rift would blow over.
But in September 2015, the pair divorced over Lara’s “unreasonable behaviour”.
Since then she has not looked back. In the past few weeks alone she has partied in London with Liv Tyler, Karlie Kloss and Stella McCartney; showcased her legs in a dress with a thigh-high split at a L’Oreal dinner in Paris and worn a lacy bralet for the V Magazine Dinner during Paris Fashion Week.
She arrived with model Jordan Barrett — the 20-year-old Aussie rumoured to be her on-off toyboy.
The pair have been spotted together numerous times since May.
He has remained tight lipped saying only: “She’s a legend. She’s the best.”
She was also spotted having an intimate dinner with wealthy art dealer Helly Nahmad, 36, last summer and seen walking hand in hand with art director Mike Stillwell in November.
Before that she was linked to Andrew Gray, 30, who she kissed at the Brit Awards in February last year.
But while David has been seen enjoying nights out with celebrity pals including Dannii Minogue, 45, and Kate Beckinsale, 43, there has been no romance.
He admitted spending Christmas alone and on Valentine’s Day posted a picture of his mum.
To make matters worse, his latest series, ITV’s The Nightly Show, has been savaged by critics.
And there are no plans for a second series of his sketch show Walliams And Friend.
On the upside, he is due to return as a Britain’s Got Talent judge later this year, and his children’s books remain hugely popular. Yet the Little Britain star has admitted he is a difficult, complicated man.
In his 2012 autobiography, Camp David, he confessed to suicidal self-loathing, sex addiction and wanting to be loved by everyone.
He often joked about it. The first dance at the pair’s wedding reception at posh Claridge’s hotel in London was to the theme from Disney’s Beauty And The Beast.
He said: “The thing about beauty is you do feel it is very compelling, because you hope it rubs off on you.”
David had understandably been besotted when he first met Lara, soon sending a gift to her mum with a note saying: “To my future mother-in-law.”
She quickly cashed in on her new-found fame, signing megabucks deals with top brands Versace, H&M, Prada, Donna Karan, and of course she was the face of Calvin Klein. The couple boasted that David kept a naked photo of her on the wall of their mansion.
Lara once revealed: “At home there is only one picture on the wall, a black and white one from GQ by Mario Testino where I’m dressed in nothing but Agent Provocateur stockings.
“Another favourite is the one with the lace mask, leather gloves, choker and boobs.”
But following her pregnancy, Lara struggled to regain her figure, hiring personal trainer James Duigan to help.
Now she is back with a vengeance. She is hailed as one of her generation’s most iconic models — and is clearly loving the limelight.