Man Utd icon and 'Pleasure Machine' Playboy model had 'spectacular' time in hotel until 6am

Back in 1999 following their famous Treble win, former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke found himself enjoying the company of "the most extraordinarily beautiful girl"

Posted Monday, November 04, 2024 by Dailystar.co.uk

Dwight Yorke celebrating Man Utd's Champions League triumph with Ronny Johnsen, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United's 1999 Treble triumph saw Dwight Yorke cement his place as a club legend.

The Trinidad & Tobago forward bagged 29 goals in 51 appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, forming a deadly partnership up front with Andy Cole as United won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. So good was Yorke, he won the golden boot, finishing top scorer alongside Liverpool's Michael Owen and Leeds' Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

But it wasn't just on the pitch he couldn't stop scoring and it was another success with a Playboy model that Yorke was left celebrating months after that trophy glory during United's pre-season down in Australia, which the former striker claims was "one of the greatest I've ever undertaken".

The ex-United striker, who turned 52 this weekend, met "the most extraordinarily beautiful girl" on the club's pre-season tour of Australia. That summer, the all-conquering Red Devils stars celebrated by partying hard in Australia as they play money-spinning friendlies at the MCG and the Sydney's Stadium Australia, which would be used for the Olympics a year later.

With Sir Alex Ferguson absent as he was receiving his knighthood, some of the players dodged curfews imposed by assistant boss Steve McClaren. And Yorke remembered it as one of the best times of his life after he claimed he was "transfixed" by meeting model Gabrielle aka Gabby Richens - who was given the nickname 'the Pleasure Machine' after an airline commercial she appeared in.

Gabby Richens was described by Yorke as "the most extraordinarily beautiful girl it has ever been my pleasure to know"

Gabrielle Richens was nicknamed "The Pleasure Machine"

"The trip to Australia in 1999 remains one of the greatest I've ever undertaken," Yorke told FourFourTwo in 2011. "And it was made extra special for me by meeting the most extraordinarily beautiful girl it has ever been my pleasure to know."

Yorke added: "I was on the lookout for one in particular who I'd been told would be there – Gabby Richens, one of the hottest babes in Australia.

"She was also known as 'the Pleasure Machine', a nickname she got from an airline advertising campaign in which she had steamed up the screens with a striptease. When I saw her, I was transfixed. There was no time like that moment to approach her."

Originally, from Kent, the Playboy model was a huge name in Australia at the time, largely due to the brunette bombshell's high-profile romance with rugby league star Solomon Haumono, which led to her posing nude for Australian Black+White magazine as well as the March 1999 Australian Playboy edition.

Yorke said they swapped numbers and met up the following night as he ignored another curfew, and claimed he was "pleasantly surprised" that she agreed to go back to his hotel.

But first, he had to bribe a security guard with a wad of cash. "Listen, mate," Yorke recalled saying to the guard. "I've got Gabby coming up."

"Oh yeah?" he said, before adding: "Gabby who?" which prompted Yorke to say: "You know, the Pleasure Machine."
Yorke said the guard's eyes nearly popped out of his head, adding: "I gave him a hundred US dollars but I would have parted with a year's win bonuses if necessary. We had a spectacular night until she left at 6am."