Bottoms up for Ronan and Natasha

Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton and pop crooner Ronan Keating today went straight to the top of the bottom charts by being named Rears of the Year 2003.

The win for Hamilton, one of the three singers who make up the Liverpudlian girl-band Atomic Kitten, comes just eight months after she gave birth to a baby boy, Josh.

The 20-year-old follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner Charlotte Church, who won the award, amid some controversy, at the tender age of 16.

Other former winners of the female award include Carol Smillie, Ulrika Jonsson, and Denise van Outen.

Former Boyzone lead singer Keating’s win, on the 21st anniversary of the Rear of the Year contest, gives him a title once held by his current music writing partner, former Take That member Gary Barlow.

The 26-year-old heartthrob was not planning to pick up his award at London’s Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge today due to touring commitments.

Other former male winners of the award – which this year is sponsored by clothes retailer Matalan – include Robbie Williams, Graham Norton and Frank Skinner.

A Matalan spokesman said today: “As the UK’s largest jeans retailer it made perfect sense for us to get behind this event.

“On behalf of Matalan, I’d like to offer my congratulations to Natasha and Ronan as winners of this year’s Matalan Rear of the Year."