Submit a 120-kilogram Sue Tilley (Big Sue, as it is known to friends) muse anyone was virtually impossible. Nevertheless, it is because it refers to the artist Lucien Freud, and that her portraits regularly break new records at auctions. World fame came to her mid-90's of last century, when Freud wrote several of her portraits, including one that set a new record last week. In her own words, to the glory it was ready, but could not assume that this glory will come to it. "I had dreams, but they can not be called by some grandiose. More than anything, I've always wanted to get into" Heaven "(the most popular London gay club located under Charing Cross Station .-" Power ") on Saturday, when there will not let women "- she says. Initially, this dream was unattainable because Sue was a nobody, and when she finally came to fame, are able to open the door to "Paradise" even on a Saturday, it emerged that she is completely useless: the pressure of fighters for gender equality, the club was forced to cancel the event only for men.

Interest Sue Tilley zlachnym to such places as "Paradise" is undoubtedly due to the fact that her childhood was disappointingly respectable. She was born in a very respectable, although relatively poor family. And, importantly, a very respectable place. Her father worked as a manager in a bank in Windsor, which is the main enterprise in Windsor Castle - one of the residences of Queen Elizabeth II. The parents, devout men, went to church every Sunday, and prayers were an integral part of their lives. For some time the family lived in the area of Paddington Station in London. From his window, Sue loved to watch the drunks and prostitutes. "Of course, I had no idea who they are, but even then knew that they have something exciting," - she recalled later.

At the first opportunity Sue left home. She got a job at an employment office (in those politically incorrect years, it was called simply the exchange of labor), which gave her an opportunity to get public housing. Of all the branches of the service offered to her employment she had chosen that was located in Soho, central London, whose name has become a symbol, if not corruption, then the most liberal mores. She chose to live in north London, in Camden, the most cosmopolitan area of the city.

Work at the Labour Exchange she approached one hundred per cent: dust-free, good parking, quiet and, most importantly, providing a lot of free time. "At four I was already released and can do whatever I want" - she said in an interview. Sue representation that is "do whatever I want", is the ability to spend their evenings and nights in the clubs, which are famous SoHo. She began to notice a large figure, she made many friends. One of those friends introduced her to the then star of the night life of London, the artist-performer and designer Leigh Bowery, who became her best friend. "He literally fell in love with Sue - told later one of their mutual friend - at least, fell as much as a gay artist can fall in love with a great public servants." When the Bowery opened his own nightclub, "Taboo", immediately became the most controversial competitor of the same "Paradise", he invited Sue to the post of cashier. Since that did not stop her career in the employment office, she agreed. There was, of course, another reason why Sue happy to sell tickets to "Taboo" - money. "Lee was a very generous person. When he was in the money, he just paid off bundles of banknotes. Durak, right?" - Sue recalled later. In addition, she liked and the atmosphere at the club. There came to the right, in her opinion, people. And properly behaved: "Once our DJ so drunk that he worked, forgetting to put the record on the player. So, and led a needle on an empty player. And nothing, all dancing!"

It was introduced to Sue Leigh Bowery with the artist Lucien Freud, literally persuaded him to look at it as a model. The first meeting was not too successful: Freud did not like the makeup Tilly. The next meeting was much better, and Freud through the Bowery invited her to stay his Artist's Model (rate - £ 30 per day). But even here the glory of nearly slipped away from Tilly: She just started vacation, and she asked Freud to wait a little work. "When I returned from India, he was nearly vomited on my tan" - says Tilley. The artist had insisted that it would begin to write her portrait only after a tan will do. All of its few tattoos he carefully before starting work plastered with cream, considering them disgusting. The rest of the work of Freud Sue liked it.

Work on the first portrait of her - "Sleeping social Inspector" - lasted nine months, three sessions a week. The artist was pleased with the picture, and Sue - payment. In addition, during the time of the artist and naturschitsa friends. She still refuses to comment on his relationship with Freud: "I will not be any diva, leave me alone." The artist himself vaguely described their relationship, once remarked in an interview that "knows all the delicious things that you can get up to its size, its amazing craters and other curves, which he had previously never seen." Whatever it was, Sue Tilley was a real muse of the late Freud, and he more than once painted her portrait. They often occur together, but in a small apartment Sue presents Freud - his own paintings - so much so that they can buy several luxury London mansion.

The work of Lucien Freud has made Sue a world celebrity. Otherwise it could not be: her portrait several times, passed from hand to hand, every time beat the record for the price paid for the work of living artists. "She lives simultaneously in two dimensions - speaks about her one of your friends .- It is a modest and civil servants, and at the same time a star, spinning, if not the finest, then certainly the most creative community." She wrote a biography of his late friend Leigh Bowery, which immediately bought it for the movies is one of Hollywood's Motion Picture (Sue stated in the production of the film as executive producer). For more fame brought her, put at the Broadway musical "Taboo", dedicated to the famous club. Many of the artists invited her to shoot in music videos. Finally, in her own words, she became the first "beauty on the cover of" London's Financial Times, when the newspaper published a front-page photograph of the painting "The Sleeping social inspector." However, she did not quit his job at an employment office in Soho, where for 30 years, grown to the position of the head. She is ready to work even eight years old (now she is 52 years old), and after retirement is going to live in his pleasure in India - the only country in the world (except England of course) that her madly like.
However, while this is all in the future. And in this she has to fend off pesky sentence again to undress for the money now before the photographer. "What I took off clothes at the request of Lucian Freud, does not mean that I nudists, or slut, or someone out there - outraged Sue .- Until Lucien I to no undressing. And it is not going to do it after him, Well, of course, if this is not some stunning artist. But I can not even move like this with someone to call.'s one thing to pose nude artist, and quite another - to appear naked in the photo. But few people feel the difference. "