March 2020 – Maria is in a TV advert with, what looks like, her husband, for an insurance company.

After retiring from modelling, Whittaker formed the band Rhythm Zone in 1990, with her as lead vocalist. After the band flopped and a solo single, “Stop Right Now”, tanked, Whittaker returned to modelling, doing nude pictorials for Mayfair and other men’s magazines.

She soon became one of the most popular models to appear in the feature and was named Page 3 Girl Of The Year in 1989.

In 1987, Whittaker appeared on the cover of Palace Software’s computer game, Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior, along with Michael Van Wijk (also known as Wolf) from the Gladiators television show. In 1988, they appeared again on the cover of Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax. Whittaker was the star of Maria Whittaker’s X-Mas Strip Poker, a computer game released in 1988 for the Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64 and 128. Whittaker also appears in the 1991 video game Cover Girl Strip Poker as one of eight opponents; her appearance in the game was highlighted by several reviewers, with one magazine calling her “particularly spellbinding”.

Whittaker’s Page 3 spread was shown, being read by Benny Hill, in the Genesis video (2:07) for Anything She Does, off the Invisible Touch Album, from 1986. Hill then looks up, and sees Whittaker in the flesh, so to speak. He is distracted by her as people sneak into the backstage area he is supposed to be guarding.

In 1985, Whittaker made her début as a Page 3 girl in British newspaper The Sun at the age of 16. With her brunette hair, good looks and natural 36DD breasts, she became one of the most celebrated glamour models of the 1980s alongside Samantha Fox and Linda Lusardi.

Before breaking into modelling, Whittaker appeared as a Hill’s Angel in two episodes of The Benny Hill Show in 1983. In 1986, she appeared in the movie version of Whoops Apocalypse. She made her second screen appearance in the film Tank Malling in 1989.

Her younger sister Lisa Whittaker (born September 1970 in Hounslow) also appeared on Page 3, and the sisters posed together for topless photo shoots. She has an older brother David who is an accountant in London.

Maria Whittaker (born 7 October 1969 in Hounslow, Middlesex) is an English former glamour model, Page 3 girl and singer.