MORE than 45 years after emerging from the sea and into the fantasies of male moviegoers everywhere, she still reigns supreme.
Ursula Andress, the actress, has been voted as the ultimate 'bikini goddess' in a new poll of women.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the Bond girl, best known for her bikini-clad entrance in the film Dr No, topped a star-studded list including Helen Mirren, Brigitte Bardot and Kelly Brook.
The survey of 1,000 women was conducted to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the bikini, since its entrance onto the fashion scene in the US.
The results suggest that women want a curvy look rather than slender figures of today's stick thin models.
Andress came up tops for her look in the first-ever Bond film alongside Sean Connery more than 45 years ago, followed by Brigitte Bardot who earned the nickname The Bikini Girl in the early 1960s.
Helen Mirren was mentioned after recent photos of her on holiday in her bikini where she showed age is no barrier to looking good in the outfit.
Andress' famous two-piece itself was also voted the most iconic bikini ever, while women also rated Jessica Alba's washboard stomach and Elle Macpherson's legs as the best of their kind.
Others in the list include Halle Berry for her Bond girl role in Die Another Day, which imitated the Dr No scene where Andress emerges from the sea in a bikini.
Women also rated Kelly Brook's chest as looking the best in a bikini in the poll for the shaving product Gillette Venus Embrace
The bikini was invented in France in 1946 but took the world of beach fashion by storm after it started appearing in the US from 1949, becoming the outfit of choice for Hollywood starlets and actresses.
But despite its popularity, it is the one piece of clothing guaranteed to make women self-conscious about their own body image, the poll showed.
It found 97 per cent of women dread the thought of revealing themselves in a bikini, with 27 per cent citing cellulite and 22 per cent for not being toned as reasons.
MissHolly Chaves, stylist for Gillette Venus Embrace said: 'The full list suggests curves and an hourglass figure are not just appreciated by men but that it is women too who feel this is the kind of look they should aim for and not just try to be thin.'
