Naked AMBITIONS

‘NUDITY IS A GREAT LEVELLER’

Helen Berriman, 46, started going clothes-free during lockdown in 2020. She now works for British Naturism (bn.org.uk), the UK’s internationally recognised organisation for naturism. She lives in Kent with her partner Simon, 46, and daughter, who’s 15.

I’m a relative newbie to naturism, having only discovered the joys of it during the first lockdown. Before that, I couldn’t understand it.

I was raised in a single-parent family with two older brothers. Nudity wasn’t an issue but it also wasn’t celebrated. But, at 14, I was raped and this shaped my views on sex and nudity for years to come. I struggled to feel comfortable and content in relationships. In 2005, I married my first partner, who encouraged me to cover up.

We split up in 2008 and in 2015, I met my now partner, Simon. During