DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T… be a pin-up at 50

Being a grandma wasn’t going to stop Charlene Farnsworth getting hearts racing

- FRANCES LEATE

Thrusting my chest forward, I put my hands on my hips, lean my head to one side and smile into the camera as the photographer snaps away. Dressed in nothing but a sparkly string bikini and heels, I look down at my washboard stomach and curvy, toned thighs, and feel a rush of pride at my athletic figure. After all, I’d worked hard for it, spending time lifting weights in the gym every day, eating plenty of healthy fruit and veg and regularly turning down dessert. And it’s paid off, because now I’m modelling sexy swimwear for a clothing brand – something I never imagined I’d find myselfdoing at 50.

I’d dreamt of being a model ever since taking part in a few local fashion shows in my 20s. But when I got married to Mike in 1999 and had my two children, Mikaela and Kyle, life took over and that dream seemed less and less possible.