She was soon hitting the headlines too for far more than just modelling. Only a year later, at age 17, Debee found herself in a relationship with Hollywood movie legend Tony Curtis, who was then 42 years her senior. The gossip columns naturally went wild. It wouldn't be her last high profile relationship either. Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt also famously fell for her curvaceous charms. At the same time as shooting raunchy videos for franchises like Electric Blue, and baring her all for magazines like Penthouse, Partner and Gent, Debee got regularly called on to make mainstream TV appearances, either as herself or in acting roles as the cheeky buxom blonde.
Born in Coventry on 2 July 1967, Debee - also sometimes known as Debbie Ashby or Debby Ashby - remained a pretty simple girl at heart. Through all the dizzy heights of her fame, she claimed the only thing she'd ever really wanted to be was a barmaid. In 1994, looking towards a time when she'd be hanging up her kinky modelling boots, she set about living that dream by taking a pub management course. "When I was younger I owned a place called Ibiza's in West London but I dished out free drinks left, right and centre. I didn't realise I was pouring money down the drain. I was just too inexperienced," Debee admitted at the time. She wouldn't make the same mistake a second time. She retired from modelling in the late 1990s, and moved to the Isle Of Man, where, married with kids, she opened and ran her own pub. A restaurant and property development company have also since been added to her business portfolio. How many of her regulars admit to recognising one of the biggest British sex symbols of the 1980s, Debee is too modest to mention.
