Former Page 3 glamour model Jodie Marsh says growing plants is "great" for her mental health.

The 44-year-old beauty runs her own farm in Essex farm - where she looks after more than 400 rescued animals from meerkats to deer and emus and is currently taking a diploma with the intention to become a vet - and she has revealed that she has always had a passion for gardening as it brings her a "sense of calm".

She told Closer UK magazine: "Gardening has always been my passion and I've learnt so much from speaking to staff at garden centres. I 've kept herb gardens and vegetable patches for years and growing broccoli, coloured cauliflowers, runner beans, strawberries, tomatoes, chilies, pretty much everything. I love growing roses, peonies, clematis, irises and beds of tulips too. It's great for your mental health and has brought me a sense of calm."

The busty beauty - who doesn't have children - compared growing plants to raising a child.

She continued: "When you see flowers like delphiniums grow from seed and then bloom, its wonderful, and in some ways similar to raising a child, you're nurturing something, helping it grow and making it become beautiful. When what you've grown returns the next year, it gives you such a buzz!"

Jodie shared her green-fingered passion with her late mother Kristina - who she lost in September 2020 after a battle with cancer - and she has pink roses in her memory.

She said: "My mum and I loved shopping for plants, we'd go to the Chelsea Flower Show each year and treat ourselves to new flowers for the garden.

Her funeral was themed pink and afterwards, I planted loads of pink roses in her memory on my patio, then when I moved to my farm three years ago, there were pink climbing roses all around the front door. My mum would've loved it."