Marie Helvin, 71, proves you can model lingerie at any age as she shows off her stunning figure in racy underwear while posing for her first photoshoot since her mastectomy

Supermodel Marie Helvin aims to prove you can model lingerie at any age as she fronts Bluebella’s stunning Valentine’s Day campaign.

The photoshoot also marked the first time Marie, 71, has modeled since undergoing a mastectomy in 2022 to treat her breast cancer.

About the surgery, she said, “It took a while before I was emotionally and physically strong enough to shoot for a whole day.

‘My breasts were perfect, they really were. Losing that wasn’t just physical, it was a mental and emotional removal.

“It’s only now that I feel ready to do this campaign again, the recovery process has taken quite some time and my chest has clearly gone through a huge trauma…”

‘But it’s a beautiful breast and my surgeon did a fantastic job. It has given me such confidence to get back into modeling.”

Marie’s shoot takes a stand on the lack of age diversity in fashion, as she claimed the industry is ‘fixated’ on women under 30.

The US star said women over 60 are ‘ignored’ by fashion brands, but she refuses to be discriminated against because of her age.

Marie said: ‘I’m not ready to retire yet, who says a woman in her 70s can’t model lingerie? I refuse to be defined and discriminated against because of my age.”

‘It makes me so angry that women are ignored and become invisible after the age of 60. Marketing managers and brands are fixated on women in their 20s and 30s and steadfastly ignore women over that age, this has to stop.”

And Marie certainly made her point clear as she posed for a series of incredible photos in her lingerie for their annual campaign.

The 12-time Vogue cover girl showed off her phenomenal figure in a sexy pink set with cut-out hearts covering her nipples, paired with a red blazer.

She later donned a black mesh leotard, which was styled with a pair of black stilettos and latex gloves.

Other looks included a barely-there black bodysuit, which she paired with a black blazer and a pair of stylish sunglasses.

Marie also wore a selection of pink, red and black lingerie sets from the brand’s upcoming Valentine’s Day campaign.

Marie hopes that by leading the Bluebella Valentine’s campaign, she will give other women a new lease of life.

She said: ‘I think a lot of women my age are stuck in a rut because society makes you feel that way. You have to take back who you are. Take back your individuality, take back your power as a woman and discover what that all entails.

‘That also means treating yourself to nice things like lingerie, it means treating yourself to good sex, to good food, to a good life, to kindness, to all those wonderful things.

‘I hope that a campaign like this will make women feel a little freer and that they will think: if she can do it, I can do it too.’

‘And I enjoyed it. It was great to wear beautiful lingerie that feels good, that makes me feel good and I know it looks good on others. It is exciting.

“I’m so excited about this campaign and I just know women my age and older will love it.”

Marie has been a fashion icon throughout the decades. She was a Vogue cover star in the 1970s, a supermodel in the 1980s, married to iconic photographer David Bailey and a pioneering detox guru in the 1990s.

Marie loved shooting for the brand, promoting age positivity, body positivity and self-love. ‘My lingerie collection started when I started modeling here in London in the 1970s and I saw a negligee for the first time and I was transported to another planet.’

‘I had never seen anything so beautiful. They looked like dresses. I thought, you can wear this, and I’ve been collecting lingerie ever since.’

Marie is an inspiration to many women and has spoken openly about her experiences with cancer.