Publicists projected the nude image of Porter onto one of the towers at the Palace to promote a magazine poll to find the world's 100 sexiest women.

The picture of the 28-year-old former Fully Booked presenter appears on the front of FHM - although the photo was carefully doctored to remove any trace of her nipples.

It is not the first time the ambitious presenter has stripped off - last year she appeared in rival magazine GQ, then saying it was the only magazine she was "getting her kit off for".

Boring spell in DIY store

Gail - happy to help

In FHM she enlightens readers as to her past career, such as a "boring" spell working in DIY store B & Q, saying "I worked there for four hours every Sunday afternoon. I had to wear this little badge which read 'Gail - happy to help'. I lasted two months."

Porter's profile has rocketed since she landed a job presenting BBC Two's Fully Booked children's programme last year. Before that, she was presenter of ITV's Saturday morning show Scratchy & Co.

After appearances on Chris Moyles' BBC Radio 1 show and a series of raunchy magazine appearances, she gained presenting jobs on Channel 5, and has been signed up to present a drivetime show on Virgin Radio.

Virgin will be hoping she has improved since her last radio stint - she was dropped after stumbling her way through just two shows on London rock station Xfm in October.

Tipped for Breakfast job

Naomi Campbell: Stripping off for Playboy

Now she is being widely tipped to join Johnny Vaughan presenting Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, after criticism of current presenter Kelly Brook.

A spokesman for FHM said: "We want to up the voting frenzy for the poll and what better way than to put a nude Gail Porter on the Houses of Parliament. It is a cheeky way of increasing interest."

Cheeky or not, projecting images onto the side of Parliament is becoming a common way to gain publicity. Gay campaigners covered it in slogans in March, while Age Concern projected its latest advertising campaign onto it in November. A London nightclub, the Ministry of Sound, has also pulled the stunt.

Meanwhile, supermodel Naomi Campbell is also hoping nudity keeps her in the spotlight - by posing nude for Playboy. Photographer David La Chapelle took the shots in New York last week, for an undisclosed sum.