The Model, the Poster and 3,000 Women (Ch4): IF, like me, you were a teenage girl in the 80s or 90s, you probably had Adam Perry on your bedroom wall next to pictures of Wham and Duran Duran.

But Adam wasn't a pop star and most of his fans didn't even know his name. He was the male model captured in the famous L'enfant Athena poster cradling a baby in his arms.

For millions of young girls, the image captured a dream of the perfect husband and father, but the reality behind the iconic photo was a lot different.

Far from being a sensitive New Age man, Adam was a tart with a liking for illegal drugs and women.

This documentary shattered any romantic notion anyone may have ever had about Adam.

Now 40, he is a bitter, broken man, who is light years away from the trendy muscled lad in the 1986 poster.

Unlike the photographer and designer of the picture, Adam was given just a one-off fee of a couple of hundred pounds for being its star. While Spencer Rowell and Paul Rodriguez received royalties every time the image was reproduced on clocks, postcards and mugs, Adam received nothing.

Not that he was left destitute - he made thousands from other modelling jobs, all of which was spent on drugs, drink and women.

A claim was made that he bedded 3,000 women in his life - not that any of them seemed to care. Interviews with some of his conquests revealed attractive, intelligent professionals who should have known better but who couldn't keep the smiles off their faces when talking about their moments of passion with the poster man.

The story of the Athena poster was a sad tale for all those involved.

Adam is now a builder. He has a girlfriend, a son he is not allowed to see and no money. He could hardly contain his anger with the way he was treated, when the programme makers reunited him with Spencer for a modern take on the classic shot.

Spencer made a lot of money from the poster, spent a lot on drugs and ended up in rehab as a bankrupt. He is still taking photos and last year, made £250 in royalties from the poster.

Paul died of Aids in 1992, having felt his whole career was dogged by the poster, which he thought stopped him being taken seriously.

The only one to come out of all this unscathed was the baby, Stelios, who made no money out of the shoot and had to buy his own poster but at least has a stable and normal family around him.

A powerful and compelling programme that clearly demonstrated that money and fame can so easily lead to destruction and misery.

Published: 23/06/2004