‘Painfully shy’ Carmen Electra stripped naked for Playboy – and people asked for more

Carmen Electra, who celebrates her 51st birthday this week (April 20), has been driving her fans wild ever since she graced our screens in the iconic red Baywatch swimsuit.

She landed the role just a year after catapulting to fame by securing a fully nude spread in the May 1996 edition of Playboy magazine.

But while the actress continues to proudly show off her sex symbol status in saucy snaps and jaw-dropping outfits, she admitted she was actually “painfully shy” before stripping off for Playboy.

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For Carmen, the racy photo shoot was a dream come true after spending her childhood looking up to the “sexy” women in Playboy.

She told The Guardian: “From the time I was a little girl I would sneak into my parents’ bedroom and look through Playboy magazines.

“I always thought the sexy women in the magazine were beautiful. I’ve chosen jobs that were sexy because I wanted to do them. I wanted to be on Baywatch and I wanted to pose for Playboy.”

While she always idolised the Playboy women Carmen didn’t have the confidence they did but revealed she thought it would be a “fun opportunity” to combat her shyness when she was offered a shoot herself.

She said: “I was painfully, painfully shy, so when I got offered to do Playboy I thought about it. I wasn’t sure at first but then I thought what a great fun opportunity it was and what a good way to get over some of my shyness.

“And it did in a lot of ways, so it has meaning to me. And then, of course, no one wanted me to keep my clothes on after that.”

Since then, Carmen has followed her fans’ wishes and continued to strip off for the camera, posing for five Playboy covers in the US and over 50 covers worldwide.

Recalling her very first shoot, Carmen told Fox News back in 2019: “I honestly was so shy the first time I posed. I don’t know how I got through it. But once I did, I realized that Playboy was very…They were very respectful.

“There weren’t people hanging around on set. The lighting was amazing. The photographers were very friendly and aware that you’re a woman and you’re posing nude, and so it did make it easier.”

She revealed the shoot was successful in helping her overcome her shyness.

Describing the moment she saw the nude pics, she added: “I had to pinch myself. I couldn’t believe that I was actually in the magazine and going to be a part of such an iconic time, being a part of Playboy in general.

“Marilyn Monroe started off with Playboy, and those are the women that I admire and truly have been inspired by. So yeah, Playboy was a lot of fun… And I’m not shy at all any more, by the way.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk