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A senior Irish woman who says she has suffered from low self-esteem all her life will soon be seen on the catwalk after being snapped up by a modelling agency.
Belfast wife Anne Flanagan, 70, worked as a civil servant until her retirement and had never worked as a model before.
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But after a chance meeting with a photographer in Belfast, she found her confidence again – and was soon snapped up by a modelling agency, a clothing brand and a shop fashion show in the city center.
Now Anne is recognised on the street – and other retirees have told her she ‘makes people stronger’ women more than 70”.
Anne said: “I have never modelled anything – not even a scarf in my life. The pictures that are taken of me give me a boost.
“I have always been shy and always will be, but my modeling photos make me smile.
“I’m happy with the way I look. If I can represent older women, I’m very happy with that.”
Anne spent her life in the public sector, then Northern Irish bureaucracy.
She has been a career counselor, a social Security officer and a director of corporate services.
When she wasn’t working, she spent her life raising her two daughters, Julie, 40, and Ciara37, together with her husband, Lion78.
She explained: “After I retired, my daughters said I should do something more fun with my life. I volunteer at a nursing home twice a week.
“The first few years of my retirement I cared for my father, which I enjoyed very much.
“Ciara said she would sign me up for some extras workI said I didn’t want to do that, I’m quite shy.
“But she convinced me to give it a try anyway.”
Anne retired from government work in 2015 at the age of 61 and has worked as an extra on and off for the past nine years.
In January 2024, she was approached by photographer Christopher Ward while shopping in Belfast.
Viral hit
He runs the Instagram Model Strangers page and stopped her to take a photo of her and hear her backstory and the post went viral.
She said: “That particular day I was walking into town with my husband.
“He’s more of a walker, but I wanted to quickly go to the stores and go home.
“I saw someone with a camera coming towards me. If I see someone who looks like a tourist in Belfast, I’m going to help them.
“I thought Chris was just a tourist looking for directions. But when he came up to me, he told me what he was doing.”
New job
Christopher asked Anne if he could take some pictures. When he showed her his Instagram account, she said yes.
After posting them to his account, Anne saw a lot of comments coming in about how powerful the photos were.
She was soon recognized on the street.
Anne said: “I got stopped in a coffee shop. This lady said, ‘Are you Anne?’ She told me I put a smile on her face.
“Some people who have spoken to me are excited to see an older person given a platform.”
Fashion photoshoot
In April, Anne was approached by Kindred or Ireland – a local boutique, where they showed their clothes.
She explained: ‘The day of the shoot I was walking by Royal Avenue in Belfast. I felt so sick and unprepared.
“I went along, and I was just myself – I enjoyed it immensely. That was my very first foray into this bizarre world.”
Her next one Modeling will take place at the Victoria Square ‘Park and Stride’ fashion show, in autumn.
Anne says the best part about her new ‘career’ is proving to herself that life doesn’t end at 70.
Life after 70
She said: “It’s not over when you’re 70. I just did my best.
“I am very happy with the number of older people who approach me and say things to me.
“They say it’s ‘great to see someone our age who’s been spotted because they stand out.’
“I just think it’s great that an older woman is getting so much good publicity.”
