AFTER BEING SAVAGED by killer fish earlier this year, Kelly Brook is surprisingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as we sit down outside the Al Qasr Hotel.

The British beauty broke America this year thanks to the success of Piranha 3D, as audiences and critics alike warmed to the film’s raucous and unashamedly silly tone. And it turns out the madness didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling in Arizona’s Lake Havasu – a famed party hotspot also known as the ‘Redneck Riviera’.

“We went out a few nights and got into a few bar brawls,” Kelly says with a giggle. “Riley Steel (her co-star) was responsible for most of them. She was a lot of fun and a lot of trouble.

“That production was rock and roll the whole way,” continues the model/actress, who joked on Twitter that she was also “looking for trouble” during her time at the Dubai International Film Festival. “When you watch the movie and how heightened it is, that was the level everyone was at the whole time. It was intense, there was always some drama going on.”

Kelly has returned to the horror genre in her new film Removal – which follows strung-out cleaner Cole Hindin (Oz Perkins) as he traipses around a sprawling mansion at night. She plays feisty estate agent Kirby in the independent film, directed by debutant Nick Simon.

“Kirby is trying to sell this house and needs the signature of Cole’s wife, but she’s gone missing,” explains the 31-year-old, back in the UAE already after watching the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last month. “She goes into this situation and sees that all isn’t what it seems. You can’t pull the wool over her eyes, but you don’t know what part anyone else is playing. It’s a very psychological movie.”

Body of Work

Born in Rochester, a commuter town on the outskirts of London, Kelly began modelling as a teenager and attended the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. Her big break came with a TV presenting slot on popular morning show The Big Breakfast, where she was criticised in the press for a series of autocue bloopers.

Despite her brief stint on the show, Kelly burned herself into the consciousness of the British public – as men across the land were enraptured by her bubbly personality and jaw-dropping curves.

She quickly became a ‘lads mag’ favourite and a permanent fixture on lists of the most beautiful people alive. Women also expressed their admiration for Kelly’s physique, as readers of Grazia Magazine proclaimed her to have the best female body in Britain. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the UK board of plastic surgeons revealed that her backside was the most admired celebrity body part among patients.

“I don’t really take it too seriously,” Kelly says of her continued presence in the endless polls and lists. “I think they’re just silly stories and an excuse to print a picture of me with nothing on!”

Thankfully, she doesn’t plan to trade in her modelling career any time soon. With no more films in the pipeline as yet, Kelly is focusing on campaigns for Armani and GQ Magazine in the near future.

“For some reason, in the last couple of years I feel like my modelling career has taken off more than ever,” says Kelly, who was reportedly paid $500,000 to pose for Playboy in September. “I don’t know why that is; I guess it’s just building relationships with editors and amazing stylists.

“And it’s hard work making a movie because you’re away from home,” continues Kelly, who also had an ill-fated week-long stint as a Britain’s Got Talent judge last year. “You’re on location for three months – usually somewhere dodgy – with a bunch of strangers and it’s long hours. So after that it’s quite nice to dress up in nice outfits and have tea brought to you. I admire actresses that do film after film, it must be so taxing.”

Finding her niche

So, would Kelly ever ‘de-glam’ onscreen for a role in the same way as Charlize Theron in Monster or Cameron Diaz in Being John Malkovich?

“What, to win an Oscar?” she howls – adding uncertainly that she might consider it in the right circumstances. Otherwise though, Kelly is realistic as to the roles she can expect to win.

“You try to find your niche in the industry,” she says of her sex symbol status. “And I guess if people try to label you as that...I don’t know, I just try to make it work for me instead of fighting against it. If I just wanted to be a serious actress, I think I’d be miserable because I’m always saying silly things and laughing. I just embrace it.”