David Boreanaz’s ‘Angel’ beats Robert Pattinson’s ‘Edward’ as sexiest screen vampire

Robert Pattinson has been beaten to the title of sexiest screen vampire in a new poll released today. David Boreanaz, who plays Angel in the Buffy and Angel series topped the poll (12 per cent), with Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview with a Vampire (11 per cent) coming in second, followed by Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series in third (10 per cent). The results may come as a surprise as vampire-mania sweeps across the UK with the recent launch of Twilight Eclipse.

The research, a YouGov survey of 1,173 women across the UK commissioned by Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign, also shows that you don’t have to be tanned to be sexy. Less than one percent of the women surveyed chose ‘sun tanned skin’ as the sexiest feature in a man, turning typical attitudes about what makes someone sexy upside down.

Since the 1920s, having a tan has been seen as sexy and desirable. But these results show pale and interesting is making a comeback. In fact, almost nine out of ten people surveyed (89 per cent) agreed that you do not have to be tanned to be sexy. When quizzed, less than one percent of the women said they thought suntanned skin was the sexiest feature in a man. More than a third (37 per cent) selected nice eyes, followed by 28 per cent selecting a nice smile. A cheeky five per cent selected a pert bum as the sexiest feature in men.

Caroline Cerny, Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart manager said: “Vampire-mania has definitely hit the UK, and the stars are helping to bust the myth that you have to be tanned to be sexy. Cool skin has never been hotter!

“Unlike vampires, we all need a bit of sun to help keep us healthy, but the key is to know how to enjoy it safely. It’s easy to end up with sunburn in an attempt to be tanned. Sunburn is a sign that skin has been damaged by overexposure to UV rays from the sun or sunbeds, and increases the risk of skin cancer.

“Get to know your skin and how it normally reacts in the sun. This will help you to work out what you need to do to make sure you don’t get sunburnt.”

Anyone can develop skin cancer but some people have a higher risk including those with fair skin, lots of moles or freckles, a history of sunburn or a family history of skin cancer.

For further information about Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign visit www.sunsmart.org.uk

ENDS

For further media information, contact the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 7061 8315