Â鶹Éç

^{This article originally appeared on .}

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Anthony Hurd. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I did my first at 63. It was for a well-known charity in my native UK.

Music was playing, and everyone was friendly and smiling. I had to look up, sideways, and down at imaginary things edited into the frame later.

thought I was joking when I told him this was my first gig. “You’ve smashed it,” he said. I’ve never felt such a natural high.

^{Anthony Hurd poses in a studio as an underwear model via Business Insider}

I retired because I didn’t want to worry about running a business anymore

My mindset had been the opposite six months earlier because retirement, after 25 years of being the CEO of a furniture business, wasn’t working for me.

I retired in June 2022. My youngest daughter was two at the time. “I’ve got a young child,” I thought. “I must spend time with her and make the best of my life.”

I planned to spend time with her and my eight older kids ages 8 to 48. I also wanted to go to the gym and start . I didn’t want to chase money or worry about the company anymore.

^{Hurd with his wife, Rachael, and the youngest of his 9 children. Courtesy of Anthony Hurd via BI}

But I soon became bored and , which I had never had before. It caught me by surprise. It was getting to the point where I was killing time during the day and sleeping badly at night.

I saw a doctor about my low mood. “I could put you on ,” he said. I didn’t want medication, and he referred me to a therapist. The sessions made me feel so much better.

Soon I started going to the gym in earnest and . I did cardio and . My wife, Rachael, 40, and the kids noticed a positive change. Still, I lacked direction.

I thought I’d give modeling a try

I was on my computer a couple of months later, and a pop-up appeared. It was an article about. I laughed and clicked on it. It said some of the big brands were employing mature models. They called them “silver” or “gray” models.

I pulled up some recent pictures that Rachael had taken of me. I was tan and had grown a gray beard. Rachael told me I looked sharp.

“Modeling might be fun,” I thought. If it didn’t happen, I had nothing to lose.

This portrait was recently added to Hurd’s modeling portfolio

I sent my photos and an introductory video to an agency based in London, who signed me as soon as I met them. “You can be the trendy granddad,” the agent said.

My first photoshoot, a charity shoot for Comic Relief, took place in December 2022. Later, I shot for Nike at a club, modeled , and did photoshoots for H&M. My picture appeared on billboards and buses.

My career took off, and I launched my .

I walked the runway during Paris fashion week

Sometimes people look at me and say, “Are you really a model?” I tell them that the world of modeling has changed. It’s no longer about looking like . It’s about people being real people.

My most surprising assignment was modeling underwear in Sweden for the designer . It was mostly shorts and T-shirts. Then they handed me a pair of boxers. I walked onto the set and posed. I never imagined in a million years I’d be standing in front of a camera in underwear at 63.

Hurd told Business Insider that he never gets nervous ahead of a modeling shoot.

But the year’s highlight was walking the runway during in June 2023. Luckily, I’m never nervous. I enjoy every moment of my job.

I say “Showtime!” ahead of each shoot. The music plays, the lights are on, and people recognize me and ask how I’m doing.

I hope to inspire older people

The pay is good. I’ve made more than $35,000 in the three-and-a-half months since January — about the same amount I made in total last year. I was just paid $3,000 for an hour’s work modeling for a software firm.

You make the most money from “buyouts” — a contract in which the company can use your images wherever they want for a limited time — and TV commercials for big brands. I recently auditioned for Coca-Cola, BMW, , and Visa.

At 64, I’m giving a strong and inspiring message. I want people my age and older to know they still have relevance and value.