Celebrity model Caprice Bourret visited Oxford to tell all about her underwear, lovelife and business career.

The Playboy covergirl spent 45 minutes speaking to Oxford University students and answering their questions at the Oxford Union, in Frewin Court, on Thursday evening.

Caprice, 34, surprised her 19-strong audience with her honesty during her lecture, which she dubbed Caprice - Queen of the Undie-World.

The glamorous American described how she was catapulted from a normal Californian family to the cover of magazines, how she set up a successful lingerie brand and told students about the perils of a celebrity lifestyle.

She said: "The first time someone came up for my autograph, I could not believe it. At the end of the day, I am just a very normal girl from a very normal middle class family.

"You get thrust into this entertainment world and you get spoilt and adored, and you get so much attention and it is great, it is really great."

Caprice said it was easy to get sucked in, and to start believing your own hype.

"I look back on some of my earlier interviews, and I think 'Cap, what were you thinking, you sound like such a dumb dumb.'"

She said her mum had to sit her down and give her a good talking to: "Now, I am the happiest I have ever been and the most secure," she said.

Caprice also revealed she had suffered a cancer scare while discussing her work in raising awareness of ovarian cancer.

And she made light of her ill-fated singing career, saying: "The British public was not ready to accept a model becoming a credible artist. Boy, did I get crucified for it."

Caprice also described how her conviction for drink driving changed the attitudes of her friends, and said: "I got really busted and humiliated. Basically, I deserved it. A lot of my celebrity friends said 'After I saw what happened to you, I am not going to take that chance'."

The model also claimed she preferred Englishmen to Americans when asked who she thought were the better lovers by a cheeky student.

It was Caprice's second lecture at the Union, following an earlier visit three years ago. She told the Oxford Mail: "To speak here is quite an honour.

"I love Oxford. It has a great buzz. It is like a little village - it is young and its energy is really good."

Ben Jansey, 20, from Lincoln College, said: "I thought it was really good fun. It is amazing to see a celebrity in the flesh."

Ed Waldegrave, vice president of the union, said: "I thought it went well. There was a good sense of humour and interesting questions."