20 of the world's most expensive body parts

Whose boobs are worth £350,000? Why did a South African soap manufacturer insure Princess Diana against "death, disability and disgrace" to the tune of £50,000? And whose partying lifestyle has left them virtually uninsurable?

Stars have been insuring bits of themselves since the 1920s. There are now so many people with commoditised appendages that Lloyds of London, the world-famous insurance market, has its own celebrity body part underwriter - Jonathan Thomas.

Water-tight confidentiality agreements mean it is impossible to know with absolute certainty whose assets are worth what, so the below list is based on those most widely reported. And the value is at the time the policy was taken out rather than in today's prices. Here are the top 20.

1. Mariah Carey's legs: £555 million

In 2006, the singer signed up to Gillette's "Legs of a Goddess" campaign. The Goddess's own legs suddenly became worth $1 billion (£555 million).

2. David Beckham's entire body: £100 million

Said in 2006 to be the biggest personal insurance policy ever taken out by a footballer, the £100 million cover was designed partly to cover loss to Real Madrid, but also to cover his numerous sponsors. At the time these included Motorola, Pepsi and along with Mariah, Gilette, a company clearly not inclined to take risks with its advertising spend.

3. Michael Flatley's legs: £25 million

The seemingly independent movement of the lower half of his legs was deemed such an impressive phenomenon that the Irish dancer's pins were reportedly covered for £25 million.

4. Angela Mount's tastebuds: £10 million

It is not just celebrities who can lay claim to expensive body parts. Four years ago, Angela Mount was insured by her then employer, Somerfield, the supermarket, for her acutely-honed sense of taste and smell. Mount, whose penchant for fine wine was credited with turning around the chain's fortunes, now runs her own consultancy, working with Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Worrall Thompson.

5. America Ferrera's mouth: £5 million

The Ugly Betty star's brace-face shot her to superstardom, so the US actor quite literally chose to put her money where her mouth is earlier this year when she insured her gnashers.

6. Ken Dodd’s teeth: £4 million

There can be no finer example of how to turn  a weakness into a strength. Mr Dodd's teeth, which might have been a barrier to other careers, eventually became his fortune, making the nation laugh even before he had told any jokes.

7. Ilja Gort's nose: £3.9 million

Another whose superior senses are worth a packet. Mr Gort, a Dutch wine-maker, was prompted to approach Lloyds after wines from his vineyard, Château de la Garde in Bordeaux, France, won several awards. “It was far above the mediocre nose”, said Mr Gort, modestly.

8. Bruce Springsteen's voice: £3.5 million

If some recent harsh reviews are anything to go by, it is possible that the quintessential American rocker has already had to claim on this policy, which he took out lest the worst happened and history was denied such musical greats as "Streets of Philadelphia".

9. The nose of a professional perfume smeller: up to £2 million

Usually self-employed, these prized sniffers earn their living through contracts with perfume-makers, deciding which fragrances are more Jade Goody than Kate Moss.

10. Heidi Klum's legs: £1.15 million

The impeccable supermodel became the legs of Braun's epilator advertising campaign back in 2004, at which point she discovered for certain what men everywhere always knew: she was worth millions of dollars. Rather harshly, one leg was reportedly valued for slightly less than the other, as it was slightly less perfect. As if anyone could tell.

11. Keith Richards' fingers: £1 million

The Rolling Stone's guitarist used them for swearing almost as much as for playing, but there was no way he was going to risk losing them. One of the few policies that Lloyds of London is able to confirm.

12. Betty Grable's legs: £500,000

"The girl with the million dollar legs", quite literally. Twentieth Century Fox, her studio, deemed her long limbs so crucial to the success of their films that they took out a policy in case they were damaged.

13. Jamie Lee Curtis's legs: £1 million

More legs. This time, for advertising stockings. Perhaps spying an opportunity for publicity, other stars who are understood to have insured their legs include singer Rhianna, chanteuse Marlene Dietrich and Mary Hart, the American TV presenter.

14. Dolly Parton's boobs: £350,000

"No-one makes money from boobs alone", says Mr Jonathan Thomas. Indeed, it is not her breasts that came up with world famous lyrics, nor did they sing them, and yet Ms Parton deemed her balloon-like pair to be sufficiently valuable to her career to insure them. Dolly dearest, boobs or no boobs, you'd still be worth a fortune. 

15. Egon Ronay's tastebuds: £250,000

They could make or break a restaurant, so fully functioning tastebuds are something of a necessity for the Hungarian food critic Egon Ronay. They could also make or break his bank balance: no tastebuds, no own-branded restaurant guides worth millions.   

16. Merv Hughes' moustache: £200,000

Becoming a household name for playing cricket is still quite a tough feat. While Aussie Merv Hughes sledging skills and fast lefthand earned him a place in the annals of sporting history in the late 80s and early 90s, it was that walrus moustache that catapulted him to stardom. Hence, the insurance policy, which we assume is null and void if he decides to shave it off.   

17. The hands of a hand model: up to £100,000

For those blessed with perfect hands, hand-modelling is a lucrative but short-lived career that ends as soon as liver-spots and other signs of ageing appear.

18. Jimmy Durante's nose: £25,000

The American TV star credited his "schnozzle" for his personality, inspiring such titles as "Schnozzola" and "The Great Schnozzle" (available on Amazon.)

19. Ben Turpin's eyes: £12,000

The silent movie star is credited with being the first celebrity to have the common sense to insure his assets, in this case, crossed eyes in the 1920s.

20. Bette Davies' waistline: £14,000

The obesity epidemic plus an entire industry that feeds on every minute fluctuation in celebrity poundage mean that no sane insurer would touch such a policy today. Of course, back when food rationing was still a reality, the threat of an expanding waistline was that much more unrealistic. How times have changed.   

......................................................

- Lloyd's of London's top three uninsurable celebrities are?

1. Lindsey Lohan - Some would argue it has already happened, but apparently it is only a matter of time before Ms Lohan's insistence on drinking, smoking and general ill-behaviour affects her looks. Consequently, she is likely to be shown out the door should she ask an insurer to cover her.

2. Robbie Williams - ditto the above.

3. Robert Downey Jnr - So addled that film producers who have employed him in the past are understood to have struggled to obtain completion bonds - a legal necessity in the film business.

- Body parts you cannot yet insure include?

1. Brains. Cerebral types will be disheartened to learn that their grey matter does not count as an insurable asset, according to Lloyds. Of course, if you are Stephen Hawking and beg to differ, then do let us know.

2. Auras. But in Hollywood, it is surely only a matter of time.   

- The problem with insuring boobs is?

1. Assessing pre-surgical and post-surgical risk.

2. f you insure pre-surgery, there is a chance it could go wrong, so it would cost more. If you insure post-surgery, there could be all sorts of problems, including leakage. Reversals can also lead to scarring.

3. From an insurance point of view, no surgery is the cheapest option. But in our breast-obsessed times, it seems unlikely that anyone who had not transformed their rack via the wonders of silicon would ever need to insure it anyway.

- Did Tom Jones really insure his chest hair?

Tom Jones did not, contrary to reports, have his chest hair insured for £3.5 million. Lloyds was apparently asked to draft a policy-wording for chest hair insurance and was asked to suggest for whom such a policy might be appropriate. Tom Jones name was mooted, but so far, he hasn't taken up the offer.

- Angelina Jolie's face would be worth?

An estimated £40 million based on three films a year at £5 million a piece for two to three years.

- Princess Diana was once insured for?

£50,000, by a South African soap manufacturer that launched a new soap back in the eighties and used a Diana look-a-like to promote it. Had anything happened to Diana while the soap was being promoted that fell into the categories of either death, disaster or disgrace the company would have received a payout.

- Jennifer Lopez's butt is?

Not insured (as far as we know), contrary to reports.

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Photo courtesy of John Griffiths

Comments

[Richard]

I am surprised no one wants their ego insured. They all seem to have one.

[Skhan]

INTERESTING...

[Tony]

I wonder what Dirk Diggler would insure...

[Jonathan Sklan-Willis]

You should include Amy Winehouse on the list of uninsurable!

[John Thomas]

Jamie Lee Curtis' thighs 1 million? yeah,. maybe 20 years ago. She is like an "old chick" now! LOL

JT
http://www.FIreme.To/udi

[Darren Lee]

WOW.. Mariah Carrey's Legs for 1 Billion dollars??! ... I wonder mine would worth how much ... Then again why they say all man are created equal?

[erik ahrsjo]

How does this work ? Is it not just a calculation by an actuary and a premium percentage ?

[Sumi]

www.allieb.etsy.com

I think it is just crass that our society has come to this. Ugh!

[oOFooi]

Wow, I didn't expect there is a calculation to count for the "world's most expensive body parts"

Incredible!!

[Not Amused]

FUN BAGS!!!

[Nikki]

Buddy - have you been living in a cave? Newspapers all say 'actor' for females now, because 'actress' implies 'prostitute' and was pooh-poohed by her Majesty Dame Judy Dench.

I am also disgusted at the use of the word 'boobs' - when referring to Dolly Parton, anything other than 'gazongas' is insulting.

[Ken Kirk]

Am I reading the Daily mail?

[Not Amused]

Further, the repetition leads to the article appearing to be gracelessly written. I suggest you perhaps consider alternating "boobs" with "fun bags" or "sweater melons".

[Buddy Jones]

America Ferrera ia an actress not an actor. Female.

[Dan]

What about Mark King - bassist/vocalist for 80s soul-pop wideboys, Level 42? He had his slap-bass playing thumb insured for over £1 million, and this was back in the 1980s.

[Roger Darce]

"Merv Hughes sledging skills and fast lefthand earned him a place in the annuls of sporting history"

Annals! Yer spell-checker missed that one!

[Steven]

Did you include Ron Jeremy in the list? I think the list might need reshuffling if you do.

[David M]

I think Catherine Bach's legs, ( Daisy Duke) from Dukes of Hazzard, were insured for $1m US...

[Not Amused]

This blog could be interesting but is let down by the repeated use of the crude word "boobs". Why can't The Times stick to breasts?