Rhian Sugden leaves little to the imagination as she strips down to her birthday suit to celebrate turning 40

Rhian Sugden stripped down to her birthday suit on Friday as she celebrated turning 40. 

The glamour model, left little to the imagination in her Instagram snap, as she posed with her arm strategically placed to protect her modesty. 

Her only accessories for the photo were her dainty jewellery and a pearl headband emblazoned with her age. 

Rhian captioned the snap: 'This is 40.' 

She was quickly inundated with well wishes, while her husband Oliver Mellor paid tribute with a sweet post of his own featuring snaps from Rhian's birthday weekend away at Parr Green Hall in Cheshire. 

Oliver captioned the post: 'Happy birthday to the light of our lives. Thank you for being a beautiful person and a perfect Mummy. 

'You brought us all together to create unforgettable memories and we love you forever.'

Rhian was no doubt grateful for a fun weekend away after revealing she was 'spat at' and had her 'windscreen smashed' at the time her sexting scandal with Vernon Kay came to light.

Back in 2010, Vernon was forced to make a public apology to his now ex-wife Tess Daly on BBC Radio 1 after a set of 'saucy messages' sent to Rhian came to light.

Then in 2016, fresh allegations surfaced claiming Vernon had once again been in touch with Rhian.

When Vernon, 52, and Tess, 57, announced their marriage split in May, the sexting scandal was dug up once again.

In a recent interview, Rhian claimed she had been 'painted as a villain' as she detailed how the sexting scandal has haunted her career.

She said: 'I really hope my forties will bring a new chapter where the Vernon stories can be put to bed. For much of my life, I've been seen as "the other woman" and painted as a villain.

If people knew the full story they'd know I'm not that person at all. There's been so much backlash against me, I've struggled to deal with it all mentally. It's not fair on his ex-wife, or their grown-up children, it must be awful.'

'I've been spat at in the face and had my car windscreen smashed. It was hell back then and I was scared to go out at one point,' she added to Closer magazine.

In 2020, Rhian claimed her 'sexting scandal' with Vernon ruined her career as she lamented the fact that he 'got away with it' after apologising.

She said it still 'made her feel sick' that he returned to his presenting duties afterwards and that she wishes she had never met him.

Vernon promised live on air that he would no longer contact Rhian or the four other women he had been caught messaging at the time.

Father-of-two Kay has always maintained that the messages were flirty banter, and that he never acted inappropriately.

She later spoke out about the scandal in a Channel 4 documentary, Page Three: The Naked Truth, in which she said: 'He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me.

'I felt like I was going up and up with my career, and then that came along. I wish I'd never met him.

'He got to give an apology on the radio and just got to carry on, with Family Fortunes, ironically. It still makes me feel sick.'

Tess and Vernon announced their heartbreaking choice to split in May following 23 years of marriage, admitting they agonised over the decision.

They insist that the split is amicable and that they will continue to be supportive parents to their daughters Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 17.