Kelly Brook is to front a campaign to resurrect the traditional British seaside postcard - with a digital twist.
Holiday photographs of the bikini-clad model and actress relaxing on the beach and reclining in a hammock have been transformed into 1950s style postcard images by mobile phone company O2.
The firm has launched a drive to celebrate postcard art and bring it "back from the edge" after research showed that holidaymakers from the UK were falling out of love with the traditional handwritten mode of communication.
Brook, who will share the digital postcards with fans and followers on her social media pages, said: "For years I used to send postcards home to family and friends. It was always the cheekiest, funniest ones that I could find.
"Sadly, I don't see any of those images any more. Like most people, I want to be able to share my holiday as it happens - sending friends photos home on Twitter and Facebook.
"The chance to be immortalised by a 1950s postcard illustrator was too good to pass up - if we can't save the postcard, then at least I can have a role bringing it up to date for a new audience to enjoy."
Ten holidaymakers who send their photos to O2 by email or social media will see their pictures re-worked into digital postcards in the same style.
Research commissioned by the firm to coincide with the launch of O2 Travel, a new service for the company's users travelling in Europe, revealed that text messages, phonecalls and social media sites are the most popular ways of keeping in touch with friends and family for tourists.
Of those quizzed by the company, just 16% said they had send a postcard home this year and 45% said they had never sent one.
Sally Cowdry, marketing and consumer director at O2, said: "Whilst we know how much customers love the ability to instantly share holiday photos and messages with those back home, we felt the disappearance of a Great British tradition of postcard art would be a sad loss.
"Therefore we want to do our bit to keep the art alive and use mobile and social media to help make the illustrations relevant to a new generation.
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"We hope the O2 Travel postcard campaign will help us engage people with the art of the postcard and bring it back from the edge."
