Ashley Roberts is a liar

Ashley Roberts is a liar. Within five minutes of us meeting, that much is clear.

“Honestly, taking off a tight Latex outfit is not that cute,” she tells a bemused FHM. “It’s pretty when it’s on, it’s sexy when it’s on… but when you take it off? That ain’t sexy.”

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True, we’ve never seen the ex-Pussycat Doll, I’m A Celebrity runner-up and Saturday night TV star take off one of her many amazing outfits. But given what she looks like in them, our imagination has chosen to agree to disagree with Ashley on this.

The truth is, there’s a wonderfully consistent streak of sexiness running through Ashley’s impressive CV. After moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona (“It’s just desert, cacti and rattlesnakes”), Ashley became a founding member of The Pussycat Dolls pop group (evolved from the long-standing dance troupe of the same name) in 2003. For seven years, she cavorted, gyrated and wiggled seductively on television screens across the globe as part of the troupe, before striking out on her own in 2010.

Since then, she’s been a very busy lady. Looking incredible in the jungle on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Looking incredible on an ice rink in Dancing On Ice. Looking incredible while presenting funny stuff on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Looking incredible while promoting her first solo album. Looking incredible while… Well, you get the idea. Ashley certainly does.

“There’s a part of me that always has the little bit of the sassy, sexiness in her. That’s probably why I ended up with The Pussycat Dolls in the first place.”

All of which means Ashley’s first ever FHM cover is long, long overdue…

So, Ashley, are you as pleased as us that you’re finally appearing on the cover of this fine publication?

Oh, yeah. FHM is sexy but it’s still classy, which is great. I just love that I get to play dress-up for a living. It’s kind of awesome, isn’t it?

Sure is. Are you aware you’re pretty good at this posing for pictures thing?

Growing up dancing and knowing how to move my body–I enjoy that and I like that I can express that. I’ve been dancing and wearing costumes my whole life, so there’s that sexiness to who I am that I enjoy.

Have you always been a good dancer?

Yeah. I’ll dance wherever there’s music on. Even now, I just start moving and I’m like, “Don’t talk to me, I’m gonna dance.”

Do you have any specialist moves?

I have several! Most of them are kind of jivey; I just shake my ass, but I have a more traditional twerk too. Then there’s the cabbage patch, dusting the shoulders, the grocery cart, the running man…

You clearly know your dance moves. Did you move to LA when you became a professional dancer?

Not quite. I would have gotten there sooner but I didn’t have any money so I worked three jobs. I was a hostess, I taught at a dance studio, and then I was an MC at Bar Mitzvahs.

We didn’t know you were Jewish?

I’m actually not! I don’t even know how I got that gig. Some friend was doing it and he was like, “Dude, I’m making 200 bucks a night.” And I was like: “What?! OK!”

What does being an MC at a Bar Mitzvah entail exactly?

Oh, it’s pretty simple. YMCA comes on, you get people up dancing. I’d get the energy going. But those days are behind me now, I’m afraid. I am no longer available for those types of bookings!

Lucky that you soon found yourself in The Pussycat Dolls, then…

Yeah. They’d already been around for a while when I got my audition. It was a known group of the top girls in the dance industry. I got in, but I was too young to even stay at the bar at that time so I had to do the gigs and leave! Carmen Electra was fronting it back then and it just got a buzz going around LA. We had Charlize Theron come and do a one-off gig, Christina Applegate was around, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears came along… And eventually a big record company decided to make us into a group.

We test Ashley on her knowledge of the law in her hometown of Arizona… It is illegal to harass a blind person’s dog in Arizona.

“It would be nice to think people could get arrested for doing that, but a law? Hmm… I’m going to say it’s not illegal.”

INCORRECT In Arizona, a restaurant offering horsemeat must have a warning in green print on the menu.

“I really hope that is a law, so I’m going to say that one is true.”

CORRECT In Arizona, it is illegal to dress Barbie up as Ken.

“Pfft. No way, not a law.

It is? Where? Indiana?

Ha-ha! Oh Indiana…”

CORRECT It’s a crime to leave a fishing rod unattended in Arizona.

“I’m going to say that one is false. I’m wrong again? We don’t even have any imported fish!”

INCORRECT In Arizona, it is illegal to pile horse mule more than six feet high.

“Yeah, that’s definitely true. No way – I’m wrong again? All I know about my state is that it’s redneck!”

INCORRECT And then pop music got sexy, right?

I think the Spice Girls still had sexy outfits but they were more like dolls that you could play with. We sexed it up a bit and we were a bit edgier. A lot of that came from where The Dolls originated. It was a burlesque group before it became a pop group, so we kind of combined the two.

Had you always wanted to get into show business?

Well, my dad drummed with The Mamas & the Papas and played in a few different bands. He had his own group, Thorn Hill, who I grew up with and they supported Jimi Hendrix. My dad has this book he flicks through sometimes and he’s like, “That’s where Jimi and I smoked together” and I’m like, “What?” It’s crazy. But yeah, performing is my heart and soul. I’m getting to go on tour with the boys, Ant and Dec, and I get to perform my solo stuff on stage–so that’s pretty cool.

You met Ant and Dec when you did I’m A Celebrity. How did you end up in the jungle?

Well, in 2012 I promised myself I’d do something each month I’d never done before. So I skydived; I did trapeze lessons; I rode a motorcycle… All stuff that I’d never done. When I first got the call for I’m A Celebrity, I was like, “Dude, it’s snakes and bugs and things. Nah.” But then I thought about it, called them back and said, “Listen, fuck it. I’ll do it. I’ll go on this crazy journey and have stories to tell my kids someday.” Two weeks later, I was on the plane.

What was the worst bit of it?

The eating challenges, 100 per cent. I also got a lot of the gooey trials, the ones where I had to dip into fish guts and stuff like that. The problem with those is that you’re not allowed to shower afterwards. You have to get into a van that doesn’t have air conditioning and get driven back to the camp. When you get back there, you say you’re ready to take a shower and they’re like, “We don’t have a filter for the waterfall, so go dip in the pond.” The pond! It’s absolutely gross; you just feel so dirty. You end up visualising a shower, clean water, and eating something that has taste to it. It’s a real mental test: I don’t know how I handled myself under those circumstances to be honest.

Since then, you’ve become increasingly famous in the UK. Despite being an American, are you starting to feel British?

The London lifestyle was hard to get used to at first–the cold, taking public transport everywhere instead of driving, the food. But now I find it all quite inspiring. I think I get the British humour too. Although I find British guys different to Americans.

How so?

Well, you guys have got some extra things going on. I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t used to that at first.

Sorry–what?

You know… down there!

Erm, you mean foreskin?

Ha-ha, yes. I had to call my gay friend and ask him what to do with it and if it was just different over here! It’s very different in America; everyone has the snip. A few guys keep it, but mostly it’s snippy-snippy.

Are you pro-snip?

I’ve experienced both, so I’m fine with it now. At first I didn’t know what to do; now I’m like, “OK, we can work with this.”

Let’s change the subject. What are the other differences between us and American men?

I suppose American guys can be a little too cocky and aggressive with their approach; in LA, they throw rubbish chat-up lines around. I’m always like, “Really, dude? Does that work?” On the other hand, I sometimes wish you Brits were more assertive, so a hybrid of you two would probably be the best thing ever.

How would you describe yourself as a potential date?

I can be the girl next door… but I can still kick your ass.

Sounds like a good combination…

Well, I like to think I have good morals, but I still have a little bit of an edgy side.

I think that I’m a very independent person so I need somebody who’s independent and strong within themselves as well. I don’t necessarily need somebody in order to get things done. I don’t need a blanket, do you know what I mean?

So you don’t want someone you can walk all over then?

No, that wouldn’t work. I’d eat you alive!

Heels or trainers?

Heels, so long as we’re going out.

Thumb war or arm wrestle?

Thumb war. I have tiny hands, but my thumbs are ninja-like.

Zombies or Zumba?

Zumba.

Pies or pyjamas?

Pyjamas.

Ice cream or ice lolly?

Ice lolly.

Ducks or swans?

Swans.

Hands for feet or feet for hands?

Hands would mean that I’d have to crawl everywhere. I could learn to do stuff with my toes, so I’ll go with feet.

Coffee or tea?

Tea.

Bum or boobs?

Bum.

Holiday or festival?

Holiday.

Donuts or doughballs?

Doughballs, definitely.

From the November 2015 issue of FHM India.