Maitlis and pals told: no nudity at the Serpentine

BBC star Emily Maitlis once said she never felt sexier than when emerging from the icy waters of the lake in London’s Hyde Park. But dog walkers in the Royal Park apparently don’t feel quite the same way about members of the Serpentine Swimming Club.

I can reveal that Maitlis and others, who get up at the crack of dawn to plunge into the murky lake, have been issued a stern rebuke over public nudity from the club president, Alan Mitchell.

The missive, sent yesterday to members including Tony Blair’s former right-hand man Alastair Campbell and ex-Olympic champion Linford Christie, was given the headline, in capital letters for emphasis: ‘WARNING: DRESS CODE & PUBLIC NUDITY’.

The letter reads: ‘We pride ourselves on being a family-friendly swimming club and observe the rules and regulations of Swim England as far as safeguarding, health and safety. As such, we would like to remind all our members to dress appropriately while at the Serpentine during club hours.

‘Unfortunately, we have received complaints about intentional public nudity around the showers and on the beach, which is not acceptable and might show our club in a negative light... It also makes other members uncomfortable, which is not conducive of a pleasant swimming experience.’

This may alarm Maitlis, 51 (pictured), who recently said of her chilly routine: ‘I feel at my sexiest when

I look my worst — after a run and a swim in the Serpentine. The older I get, the more I prioritise fitness over beauty.’ Many members are likely to complain that it is difficult not to commit public nudity after a swim at the moment. ‘They’ve shut the changing rooms due to Covid,’ my man in the Speedos tells me. ‘There has been nowhere to change except in public since the pandemic started.’

Indeed, those who take to the cold lake have to change outside on the bank, as members of the public stroll past. My mole says those who want to change in privacy, particularly certain BBC stars, invest in costly £160 ‘dryrobes’ — large poncho-style towels — to change under.

Let’s hope the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are known to walk their spaniel around the Serpentine, don’t have to reach for the smelling salts.