If you grew up in Britain or lived there anytime between the late seventies and the mid-2010s, you knew exactly what was on the third page of the country's biggest tabloid. It wasn't the weather. It wasn't a local news snippet about a cat stuck in a tree in Surrey. It was Sun UK Page 3, a cultural lightning rod that stayed stubbornly stuck in the 1970s for nearly half a century.
Honestly, it’s hard to explain to people now just how ubiquitous those photos were. You’d see them on the seats of commuter trains, tucked into the dashboards of white vans, and sitting on the kitchen tables of suburban homes. To some, it was a bit of harmless, cheeky fun—a "British institution" like a seaside postcard. To others, it was an archaic, sexist eyesore that made the simple act of buying a newspaper feel like walking into a time warp.
The Birthday Suit That Changed Everything
The Sun didn't actually start with nudity. When Rupert Murdoch bought the paper in 1969, the third page featured glamour models, sure, but they were generally clothed or in lingerie. That all shifted on November 17, 1970.
To celebrate the first anniversary of the paper's relaunch, editor Larry Lamb decided to go a step further. He published a photo of 20-year-old German model Stephanie Rahn, captioned as being in her "birthday suit." She was topless, sitting in a field.
It worked. Sales went through the roof.
The Sun’s circulation doubled to over 2.5 million within a year. By 1978, it was the best-selling paper in the UK. The "Page 3 Girl" wasn't just a photo anymore; she was a celebrity. Throughout the 80s and 90s, names like Samantha Fox, Linda Lusardi, and Maria Whittaker became household staples. Sam Fox, in particular, parlayed her Page 3 fame into a global pop career, proving that the platform was a massive launchpad for anyone who could handle the spotlight.
Why the Sun UK Page 3 Ended (Sorta)
The downfall didn't happen overnight. It was a slow burn of changing tastes and a very loud, very persistent campaign called No More Page 3. Founded in 2012 by Lucy-Anne Holmes, the movement argued that a national news outlet shouldn't be treating women as decorative wallpaper.
They weren't just shouting into the void. They got over 217,000 signatures. They got the attention of MPs like Stella Creasy and Harriet Harman. Even Rupert Murdoch himself started to sound a bit bored with it, eventually tweeting that it seemed "old-fashioned."
In January 2015, the topless photos quietly vanished from the print edition.
There was no big goodbye. No final commemorative issue. One Friday, there was a topless model; on Monday, there was Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in lingerie. The paper’s PR team called reports of its death "wild speculation," but the nipples never really came back to the paper.
Where Are the Legends Now?
People always wonder what happened to the women who defined that era. It’s a mix. Some of them look back on it as the best time of their lives; others have moved on to completely different worlds.
- Debee Ashby: A massive star in the 80s who retired from glamour in 1996. These days, she’s based in the Isle of Man. She ran a restaurant for a while and now manages a renovation business. She’s famously quoted her bio as liking "getting mucky," which is a pretty great nod to her past.
- Donna Ewin: Known as "The Body," she was a Page 3 staple for years. Now? She’s a London black cab driver. She’s been doing it for over two decades.
- Maria Whittaker: Voted Page 3 Girl of the Year in 1989, she eventually pivoted to health. Now known as Maria Tafari, she’s a nutritionist and "juicing advocate" in Kent.
- Samantha Fox: Still in the public eye, often appearing on reality TV or performing her hits. She remains one of the most photographed women in British history.
The Digital Shift and the 2026 Reality
You’ve got to realize that the "end" of Page 3 was mostly a PR move for the physical paper. The Sun didn't actually stop the feature; they just moved it.
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If you go to their website today, the "Page 3" section is still there. It’s digital, it’s behind a paywall (usually), and it’s arguably more explicit than the old newspaper shots ever were. The controversy has mostly faded because the public doesn't have it shoved in their faces at the supermarket checkout anymore.
Is it still relevant in 2026? Barely. In a world of OnlyFans and Instagram, the idea of a "gatekeeper" like a newspaper editor deciding who is a star feels incredibly dated. The "Page 3 Idol" contests that used to draw thousands of entries have largely been replaced by creators building their own brands on social media.
What to Keep in Mind
If you're looking back at the legacy of the Sun UK Page 3, here’s the reality of how it sits today:
- Cultural Relic: It’s viewed mostly as a piece of 20th-century media history. You won't find it in the print editions of major UK tabloids anymore; even the Daily Star eventually moved to a clothed format in 2019.
- Career Impact: While many models used it to build massive wealth, the industry has shifted. Today’s models prefer the autonomy of digital platforms over the editorial control of a "Red Top" newspaper.
- The "News in Briefs" Irony: One of the most famous parts of the old Page 3 was the "News in Briefs" section, where models would give their "thoughts" on world events. It was always a bit of a joke, but it highlighted the weird juxtaposition of soft-core glamour and national news.
The best way to understand the impact is to look at the "No More Page 3" archives. It wasn't just about the photos; it was about a conversation on how women are portrayed in the media. That conversation is still happening—it just moved from the third page of a tabloid to the entire internet.
Next Steps for You
If you want to dig deeper into the actual history, you should check out the Channel 4 documentary Page Three: The Naked Truth. It’s probably the most honest look at the rise and fall of the feature. You can also look up the No More Page 3 campaign's final reports to see how they actually managed to lobby one of the world's most powerful media moguls into changing his business model.