She trades her golf clubs for a ballroom gown in the quest for a new tournament win, on Dancing With The Stars.
Australian golf great Jan Stephenson is used to turning heads on and off the course. Throughout the 70s and 80s, our queen of the fairways wielded her natural sex appeal with the same level of skill as her golf clubs to propel her career to the big time – and became one of the sport’s most popular personalities in the process.
An undisputed master of the game, having won three major championships and 23 other tournaments in her glittering career, Jan, 59, has now set her sights on the Dancing With The Stars crown, joining forces with dancer and choreographer Mark Hodge.
As she replicates her iconic and highly controversial Marilyn Monroe-like poster of that era (right) for Woman’s Day, Jan concedes that causing a stir on the TV dance-off will be a lot more difficult than during her years on the professional tour.
“I thought it was going to be a few modest poses in a pretty straitlaced white outfit,” she recalls of her famous photo. “I had no idea my dress was going to be lifted up to the ceiling and my blouse sprayed with water! The photographer obviously knew what he was doing, because the poster sold out within days and women’s golf was on the front pages of papers around the world.
“The aim was to attract a new legion of supporters to the game and it worked a treat. The 80s poster was considered raunchy at the time, but now no-one would bat an eyelid. The game is really sexy now, compared to my day when it was sedate and conservative.” Jan is sure she can still raise a few eyebrows on Dancing With The Stars. She admits she is a novice when it comes to moves on the dance floor, but her famously competitive spirit won’t allow her to take a backwards step – no matter what the challenge.
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