Dame Denise Lewis models first lingerie shoot at 53 for Coco de Mer Icons collection

London — Dame Denise Lewis, 53, says she feels "sexier than ever" as she fronts Coco de Mer's Icons collection in her first lingerie shoot in her fifties. The Olympic gold medallist, who retired from the heptathlon about two decades ago, showcased the line's pieces and her toned physique while making a statement about confidence and visibility in midlife.

She told reporters that taking part in a lingerie shoot in her fifties proves that confidence isn't age-dependent and that visibility is power, adding that the experience felt "more energising than I could have imagined" and that confidence has come to mean strength in her own skin—"feeling strong, self-aware and sexier than ever" as she moves into the next chapter of her life.

Lewis described being named an Icon as humbling and evidence that "women in midlife aren't fading, they're rising—reclaiming our bodies, our stories, and our right to be seen as vibrant, sensual and unapologetically whole." In conversations with The Times, she echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that celebrating the body one has earned is liberating and could encourage more women to embrace identities beyond traditional labels such as working woman or mother.

The mother of four has long balanced a storied athletic career with family life. She first fell pregnant in 2001—about a year after she pushed through calf and Achilles injuries at the Sydney Olympics to win Britain’s first Olympic athletics gold medal in eight years. Her daughter Lauryn, now 23, is with Belgian sprinter Patrick Stevens. Denise and Patrick split in 2005, and in 2006 she married music manager Steve Finan O’Connor, with whom she has three sons: Ryan (19), Kane (16) and Troy (six). Denise has described Troy’s arrival at age 46 as a surprise but said it helped redefine her approach to family life and work, including decisions about rest and energy for the competition-and-caregiving balance.

She recalled that at last year’s Olympic Games, where nine British mothers competed, Team GB had a creche and a breastfeeding area, a resource she believes should be available to all competing mothers. "There’s this feeling of, ‘Well done you for getting yourself back to competing and how amazing you are.’ All the governing bodies and support should be there to enable that. But when it happened to me, they weren’t there. And all the headlines were unsupportive. That sowed a seed of doubt in my mind," she said. Nonetheless, she returns to the broader message of empowerment: "Taking part in my first lingerie shoot in my fifties is a statement that confidence isn't age-dependent and visibility is power."

Lewis has since become part of Coco de Mer’s broader mission to champion female pleasure and body confidence at every age. Coco de Mer owner and chief executive Lucy Litwack praised her as a trailblazer who embodies strength in her own skin and a new chapter of life in which midlife women are celebrated, not sidelined. Litwack added that partnering with Lewis aligns with the brand’s philosophy of empowering women to feel confident and sensual, regardless of age.

The campaign aligns with a growing conversation about representation and visibility in sports and media, where athletes who are mothers and veterans of high-level competition continue to redefine what achievement looks like later in life. Denise Lewis’s collaboration with Coco de Mer adds to a roster of icons including Helena Christensen, Pamela Anderson and Charli Howard, illustrating how fashion and fitness brands are increasingly spotlighting women who have both athletic legacies and personal reinventions.

Denise’s public embrace of this next phase follows a candid conversation about the evolving meaning of confidence. She described confidence as something that evolves beyond chasing records to sustaining mental strength and holistic well-being. As she told The Times, the aim is to celebrate the body she worked hard for and to demonstrate that a woman over 50 can claim space in beauty and fashion on her own terms. The project, she said, is about being seen as vibrant, sensual and unapologetically whole—and about encouraging other women to see themselves beyond limiting labels.

The campaign’s messaging, combined with Lewis’s high-profile return to the public eye in intimate apparel, marks a notable moment in culture and entertainment where the narratives around aging, femininity and athletic achievement intersect. By advancing a narrative of empowerment and visibility, Coco de Mer’s Icons collection seeks to expand the conversation about midlife beauty and agency within fashion and beyond.