In the controversial posters unveiled on Monday, the singer is pictured wearing a black evening dress and holding on to the body of a skinned fox.

Previous PETA figureheads

Naomi Campbell Pamela Anderson Kim Basinger Melissa Etheridge Christy Turlington

The singer, who has had hits with Murder On The Dancefloor and Take Me Home, was photographed by Mary McCartney, the daughter of Sir Paul McCartney.

The advert, for the anti-fur lobby group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), will be used for magazine adverts and possibly billboards around the world.

Ellis Bextor said: "I think fur is really pathetic when there are so many alternatives.

Natural

"I'm part of a generation that grew up with the 'We'd rather go naked than wear fur' campaign and it's something that really struck a chord with me.

"To me it felt a very natural thing to do, to be on the side of animals when it came to fur."

A spokesperson for the British Fur Trade Association said they would make no comment until they had seen the advertisement.

Ellis Bextor is the latest in a long-line of celebrities and models who have appeared on PETA posters.

They include model Christy Turlington, Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson and rock singer Melissa Etheridge.

Gisele

Model Naomi Campbell also appeared on PETA posters, but has since worn fur on catwalks.

The new PETA campaign comes as fur appears to be enjoying a renaissance.

Fur has recently been shown in magazine spreads, such as the September issue of fashion bible British Vogue.

Last month, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen appeared on ads for American fur fashion house Black Glama, wearing a fur coat.