The movie is on Channel 5 this afternoon and if you took a time machine back to the early Noughties, you would see Mumba topping pop charts and starring in Hollywood blockbusters.
Her role as the primitive girl Mara in the 2002 epic The Time Machine seemed like the start of a major movie career.
She starred opposite Guy Pearce in the big screen adaptation of HG Wells’ famous novel, alongside her baby brother Omero.
Mumba didn’t particularly shine as an actress but her revealing see-thru mesh top has remained in pop culture memory and she famously repeated the trick at the 2002 Spider-Man 2 premiere.
SCROLL DOWN FOR SAMANTHA MUMBA’S SEXIEST PICTURES
The film was a moderate hit at the box office but panned by critics, slumping to a poor 29% aggregate on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mumba followed it with a series of UK and Irish films which failed to make much impact at the box office.
Her music career started out much more impressively with her local debut hit. However her 2000 debut album, also called Gotta Tell you, remains her only LP to date.
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The Zambian Irish beauty decided early on to concentrate on her acting career, which may have been rash with hindsight. Her initial pop successes had been far greater and, in the long run, proved to be the peak of her pop culture impact.
She had a huge international hit in 2000 with her debut single Gotta Tell You.
It was a Number 2 smash in the UK and was followed by five more Top 10 hits, including Baby, Come on Over.
Mumba also soared to Number 4 in the US with her debut song and headlined a Disney concert in 2001 with teen heartthrob Aaron Carter.
Over the years, Mumba has occasionally attempted to return to music. A 2007 comeback concert was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. The 2013 single Someone Like Me gave her a Top 5 hit in Ireland which was her last chart appearance on either side of the Channel.
Based primarily in Los Angeles, Mumba married a policeman, Torray Scales in July 2012.
The couple have one daughter, Sage, born on March 3, 2015.
Mumbai returned to the limelight in Ireland earlier this year, competing in a Celebrity Version of MasterChef Ireland. She subsequently went on to co-host The 6 O’Clock Show, while Lucy Kennedy took maternity leave.
THE TIME MACHINE IS ON CHANNEL 5 AT 1.25PM ON SATURDAY JULY 29
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
