Australian Penthouse

Georgina – Pet of the Year 2002

With a popular and controversial stint on reality TV show Temptation Island following her original September shoot,

Georgina hasn’t looked back. She says being crowned Pet of the Year is just reward after 12 months of hard slog in a new country and a new profession.

Hometown: Bristol, UK
Photographer: Bambi

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“I’d never modelled before I arrived in Sydney,” says Georgina. “And what better place to start than at the top. It’s (modelling) something I’ve always wanted to do and it was such a rush to do it for Australian Penthouse.

“It was the best experience I have had in front of the camera and I still say these are the best photos ever taken of me-until now, of course!

“That’s why I had a copy of Australian Penthouse under my arm when I auditioned for Temptation Island, because I looked so beautiful in the magazine. I felt very comfortable with my body during the shoot, and it was very empowering. It also made me learn a lot about myself.”

Georgina says that from that moment on she was known as the ‘Penthouse Pet’ especially when she secured a slot on Temptation Island.

Being on the show and being filmed 24 hours a day was a very exciting but very surreal experience,” she said.

It also meant a lot more fame, and with it, some criticism.

“When I got back from the island I was under a lot of scrutiny. People were judging me from what they saw on TV,” she said. “Me being the bitch and the relationship wrecker, but the truth was a lot different. What the audience was seeing was very edited clips, often taken out of context.

“At first it was a bit disconcerting to learn that people were judging me on that tiny bit of information-particularly in the beginning, when it was all quite negative. It really got to me.

“Fortunately, as the show progressed that turned around a bit. I think the public really warmed to me in the end and now I think it’s (being on the show) really all positive.

“One thing that came out of it was that it made me a lot stronger. I wouldn’t take back the experience. What I went through on the island was stressful-being filmed and confiding your innermost feelings to a nation-you’ve got to have strength to do that, and they were real tears.”

Despite her claims of  being the “quiet type”, Georgina says she loved her time in the public eye and is now looking forward to her new role as Australian Penthouse Pet of the Year.

“Personality-wise I’m probably quiet. I’m an introverted extrovert-if there is such a thing. I’m quiet on the outside but on the inside I’ve got the desire and courage to do things that most women (only) dream of doing. Or maybe only in their dreams.

“I’m a very open-minded person, very experimental. A lot has been made of my liking women and I don’t shy away from that. But as most of Australia has seen, I’m a big fan of men as well.

“Basically, I want to push my limits. it’s all part of learning who I am, and there’s a little part of me that likes to shock. I think I’ve achieved that.”

Georgina is the first to admit that she is also quite ambitious.

“When I did my first shoot for Australian Penthouse, I already had my eye on being crowned Pet of the Year. I never do anything without thinking where it might lead me. I have a degree in drama and I’ve always wanted to be a TV presenter. Maybe you’ll see me doing a make-over of a room or hosting my own cartoon show?

“I don’t put limitations on myself. I’m bisexual, for example, because I’m not exclusive. I’m so thrilled to win Pet of the Year. Not bad for a girl from Bristol who came to Australia with nothing but a pair of lacy knickers!”

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• December 2008 Pet of the Year, Tameka Dean
• 2007 Pet of the Year, Kobe Kaige
• December 2006, Pet of the Year, Loretta
• December 2005 Pet of the Month, 2005 Pet of the Year, Emma
• June 2005 Pet of the Month, Judy & Georgina