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"As a kid, I dreamed of being a pop star, a glamorous woman and traveling the world. And I've done that, all my life." Samantha Fox is the type of performer that captures the eyes of everyone in the room when she enters. At the age of 16, Fox was already modeling for major British tabloids. By the time that she was 20, Fox was taking over the music world with her hit single, "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)".  From an early age, Fox was determined to become a global icon and wouldn't you know it, she succeeded.

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Samantha Fox has been performing for her fans since the early 80s, and she is still going strong today. Originally known for her modeling career, Fox made the transition to music in a way that few other crossover artists ever have. Fox overcame long odds in order to get to where she is today. With that frame of mind, why don't we dial back the clock to a special day in April 1966?

Living the Teenage Dream

Samantha Fox was born on April 15, 1966. Fox was the eldest daughter of John Patrick Fox and Carole Ann Wilken. She was raised in a theatrical family as her mother had spent much of her career working as an actress. By the time that Fox was just ten-years-old, she was performing on the BBC in the play, No Way Out.  Shortly after her theatrical debut, Fox decided that she wanted to be a performer for the rest of her life. After making such a momentous decision, Fox would enroll in theater lessons.

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Despite her focus on acting, Fox was ushered into the world of modeling, as well. Fox had modeling photographs taken of her by her mother when she was just 16-years-old. Her mother would mail those photos to a newspaper called The Sunday People in order to compete in the Girl of the Year modeling contest. Fox would end up placing second out of a pool of 20,000 entrants.  It was easy to see that her career was about to pop. Her father would operate as her manager though the two would have a falling out. Patrick Fox would pass away in 2000, having not spoken to Samantha in nearly a decade.

In 1983, Fox would sign a four-year contract with Page 3, a product of The Sun. Fox would end up winning the coveted Page 3 Girl of the Year award for three straight years, culminating in 1986 with her final victory. Fox is widely considered to be the most popular pin-up model of the 1980s as well as one of the most photographed women of the era. Fox would briefly return to modeling in 1995 in order to appear in a Page 3 anniversary issue. Fox would also appear in the October issue of the 1995 Playboy magazine.

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By this point in time, Fox was more than ready to put a hold on her modeling career. Her dreams of being a star would extend beyond posing for pictures. Now, Fox was armed with confidence, and she was ready to showcase her skills.

Becoming an International Rockstar

After retiring from the world of modeling, Samantha Fox had fostered quite the following.  Her dream had always been to perform on stage, and so she naturally started focusing on her work with music. Fox's debut studio album would drop in 1986 with the title, Touch Me. The record featured Fox's greatest single, 'Touch Me (I Want Your Body). The song would become an international hit, debuting near the top of the charts in 17 countries. The song would reach heights as high as the #3 spot on the U.K. Billboard Hot 100.

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While Fox was growing international acclaim for her musical work, she would begin to pursue work as an actress. Fox would appear on Charles in Charge (1990) as a rockstar who tried to swindle Charles, played by Scott Baio. Following her debut acting performance, Fox would appear in It's Been Real and The Match, two feature films that received lukewarm reviews.  Despite her attempts to break out in the film world, Fox kept coming back to her work as a singer and songwriter. Fox would go on to release a total of six feature-length albums. Her follow-up album, Samantha Fox (1987), would be certified gold but no other record would attain such lofty heights. Fox's most recent release was Angel with an Attitude in 2005. Angel with an Attitude featured a remixed re-release of 'Touch Me'.

While Fox never replicated the fame that she had found in the late 80s, she has continued to stay active in the industry. Fox would appear on Celebrity Wife Swap in 2008 with her romantic partner and manager, Myra Stratton. They would 'swap' partners with Freddie and Donna Starr in their featured episode. From there, Fox would go on to appear on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2009. Fox would get voted out of the house after just 16 days.  Fox would also be featured in Celebrity Big Brother 18 where she narrowly missed reaching the finale.

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Outside of her artistic work, Fox has maintained a relatively raucous love life. She turned down the marriage proposal of Peter Foster, an Australian career criminal. She also dated Paul Stanley, a guitarist from the band Kiss. It was around this time that rumors of Fox's sexuality began to surface in the tabloids. In 2003, Fox decided to pop the gossip bubble by admitting to her feelings. She publicly professed her love for Myra Stratton and declared that the two would form a civil partnership together. Fox has since become a vocal spokesman for LGBT rights throughout the world. Stratton would tragically pass away in 2015 at the age of 60.

To this day, Samantha Fox is still touring the world playing music. As a child, she declared that she would spend her life traveling the world and showing off her skills. Fortunately, Fox is living up to her childhood ambition.