| Marilyn Cole | |
|---|---|
| Playboycenterfold appearance | |
| January 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Karen Christy |
| Succeeded by | P. J. Lansing |
| Playboy Playmate of the Year | |
| 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Liv Lindeland |
| Succeeded by | Cyndi Wood |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1949-05-07)7 May 1949 (age 75) Gosport,Hampshire,England[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1] |
Marilyn Cole (born 7 May 1949)[1] wasPlayboy magazine's January 1972Playmate of the Month. She was the magazine's first full-frontal nude centerfold.[2][a] She also became 1973'sPlaymate of the Year, becoming the only Briton to hold that title. Her original pictorial was photographed byAlexas Urba.[1]
Cole worked at a Post Office punched card unit in Portsmouth Central Telephone Exchange, before working, for £12 weekly, at the Portsmouth Co-op Fuel Office, when she was interviewed to be aPlayboy Bunny at the LondonPlayboy Club.[4] She worked as a bunny from 1971 to 1974, and, within a few days of starting work there, was noticed byVictor Lownes and test-photographed for the magazine.[2] Marilyn also worked as a barmaid at the Auckland Arms Hotel in Southsea during the late 60s.
She appeared on the cover of theRoxy Music albumStranded, having been noticed byBryan Ferry after winning Playmate of the Year. She had previously appeared on the covers of variousTop of the Pops albums.[5]
She was married to former Playboy executiveVictor Lownes,[5] over 20 years her senior, until his death in 2017, and now works as a journalist.[2] Among the subjects she writes about is professional boxing, which she began covering in 2000.[6]
Her interests include the tango, which she studied underPaul Pellicoro,[7] and has partnered with actorBrian Cox.[8]
