It was a crazy idea and good for a laugh at the time. When Tricia Stewart proposed a more risqu treatment for her local Women s Institute s annual calendar, which normally featured pretty scenes from nature, laughing alongside her was John Baker, the husband of the soon-to-be Miss February, Angela. When John passed away from cancer, the Ladies of Rylstone decided that posing nude for the calendar and donating the proceeds was one way to honor his memory and cope with this devastating loss.

No one could have predicted what happened next. The calendar began to sell, and soon the whole world, it seemed, was interested in their story, with an American tour following and appearances on the Today show, 20/20, CNN, and the Tonight Show. Calendar Girls explores the phenomenon that The Ladies of Rylstone became, recounting with warmth and humor the moments of an exhilarating journey that transformed the lives of the remarkable women who became international sensations.

Tricia Stewart is director of a medical educational software company, which she runs with her husband Ian. Along with the other calendar girls, she continues to raise money for the Leukemia Research Fund.