Gemma Atkinson is quitting modelling in a bid to boost her acting career. The ex-Hollyoaks babe and I'm A Celebrity... contestant is a lads' mag favourite, often posing for raunchy underwear shoots to show off her 36E curves - but she has told The Sun she now wants to be taken seriously as an actress. Gemma, 24, said: "I am not doing any shoots this year, I finished Hollyoaks, which was amazing, but I don't want to do soap again - I want the next step up." The former Ultimo lingerie model from Bury, Greater Manchester - who has been cast as beautician Elaine in the West End production of Calendar Girls - has even had elocution lessons to hide her Northern accent. She said: "You can't just expect to have done a Channel 4 soap and become a movie star, so I have had to start all over again. "I made a decision to take a year out from the modelling. I wanted to audition and take acting classes - I want to start afresh. "I have been coming down to London to meet with my acting coach and to have elocution lessons. Then I went to the States and worked over there. "I think the lads' mags might have been a bit disappointed. I will still do my calendar, which is different, as it's my own styling, my own team." Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's new weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop
