Page 3 beauty Viv Neeves made the front page news in 1971 when she became the first woman to appear nude in The Times.

Brighton-born Viv Neves, who died on Sunday aged 54, was then a familiar face - and 36-23-36 figure - to regular readers of the tabloid Press.

But the respected Thunderer had never seen anything quite like it in its 186-year history.

The full-page advert for chemical company Fisons rocketed Viv from page 3 to page 1 in the commotion which followed.

The advertisement was in black-and-white because the editor, William (now Lord) Rees-Mogg, feared a picture of a young woman in full colour might prove too much for some readers.

The Times was deluged with complaints from retired colonels the length and breadth of the country. But mysteriously all copies sold out.

One disgruntled reader wrote: "The Times should not use such matter which degrades womanhood and uses the female body as an eye-catcher."

But some devotees of the Thunderer approved.

"I hope this delightful picture has the same effect on The Times' circulation as it does on mine," concluded a letter from Leeds.

Viv's mother, Iris, confessed to being a little shocked.

Viv herself, upon being told about her latest appearance (while on holiday in the Caribbean), responded: "A whole page? Wheeee! Imagine all those men in bowler hats grumbling 'What's this country coming to?' "

Viv first became a model when an amateur photographer asked to take pictures of her.

At the age of 18 she moved to London, where she became a bunny girl at the Raymond Revuebar strip club in Soho.

Penthouse magazine soon got in touch and she earnt £75 appearing as the magazine's Pet of the Month.

In May 1970, she made her debut on The Sun's newly-launched topless Page 3.

At her peak she was earning £20,000 a year but much to the disappointment of her fan club, in early 1973, Viv announced her retirement.

Despite a huge campaign by readers to bring her out of retirement, she moved to Guildford, married John Kelly, the photographer, and later that year became a mother to daughter Kelly.

In 1979, however, she announced to her family that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

It left her weak and struggling to walk but she battled on, living in Surrey while keeping a flat on Brighton seafront.

Her sister Amanda told The Argus: "She had fought against MS for more than 20 years.

"I thought it was poignant that she died within hours of the West Pier collapsing."

Fellow Page 3 veteran Jilly Johnson said: "We all loved Viv very much.

"She was a genuine inspiration."