Page 3 legend blasts ‘woke s***’ as she shares throwback F1 grid-girl snap
A Page 3 legend has taken aim at “woke s***” after sharing a throwback picture of her wearing an eye-popping outfit as an F1 grid girl.
Leilani Dowding rose to fame in the late 90s as a pageant titleholder and glamour model, flaunting her beauty on the global stage when she took part in the Miss Universe pageant after winning Miss Great Britain 1998.
She also posed in the pages of FHM and Maxim as well as on Page 3. The stunner then transitioned onto television screens, where she starred on Tough Love Miami and The Real Housewives of Cheshire.
The pageant winner hit the mainstream in the late 90s
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Leilani took to her social media page to reminisce about her days on the F1 grid, where she wore a Hot Wheels skin-tight jumpsuit at the British Grand Prix in 2001.
She reshared the photo and wrote: “Wow. How was this 25 years ago! Doing the grids for Hot Wheels before this woke shit came about and they stopped it all! They stopped us making money this way.”
F1 ditched grid girls at the start of the 2018 season, stating the long-standing practice was “at odds with modern-day societal norms” and did not align with the sport’s brand values.
British model Leilani attends the 2001 British Grand Prix on July 15, 2001 in London.(Image: Getty Images)
Leilani is a former Page 3 girl(Image: ExpressStar)
Leilani has been incredibly outspoken about the dropping of grid girls from the sport and hit out at the hypocrisy surrounding allowing revealing and vulgar outfits that pop stars are able to wear.
Taking aim at Sam Smith’s disturbing costume in the music video for the song ‘I’m Not Here To Make Friends’ in 2023, where Smith wears a corset and suspenders with nipple tassels, she fumed on social media: “I remember all those angry women who are sure to ban grid girls and podium girls.
“Where are their voices now when kids can watch graphic hardcore or a touch of a button, and pop stars wriggle around in simulated golden showers.”
Leilani has been very outspoken on grid girls(Image: Daily Record)
Leilani took aim at double standards in the industry
Leilani ended her tweet: “Me on left doing what’s now banned” and shared a snap of herself as a grid girl in 2002 alongside a grab of Smith in the music video, with her more covered than the controversial artist.
She then replied to a fan who also slammed the double standards surrounding Smith’s music video and the banning of girls from the F1 grid and darts walk ons.
Leilani fumed: “Degrading. It was fun and amazing money, and something so many girls wanted to do. They attacked beauty and women’s form…”
Leilani was even a WAG at points; she was engaged to former Wimbledon and Northern Ireland defender Mark Williams while also saying yes to former Arsenal attacker Jeremie Aliadière after her relationship with Williams ended.
She isn’t the only legendary glamour model to have slammed the ban – Kelly Brook had an equally angry reaction to the jobs being lost.
Kelly Brook as a grid girl in F1(Image: F1)
Kelly, who posed at the 1998 British Grand Prix when she was aged just 20, said in 2018: “It’s a well-paid job. It’s one of the best jobs I ever had.
“You dress glamorously and obviously it’s about being presentable but I never felt I was taken advantage of.”
Kelly further backed her decision on social media, posting: “FlashBack as Formula One Grid Girl #KeeptheGridGirls.”She then blasted trolls for trying to take away grid girls’ rights to “make their own decisions”.
