Beckham, who along with her fellow Spice Girls regularly tops polls of most fanciable females, beat seven other well-known women in the experiment.

Widdecombe has her admirers

Men's lifestyle magazine ZM asked readers to chose from the descriptions of each woman's character, only disclosing who the contenders were after the votes were counted.

The Spice Girl was called a family-orientated football lover who dresses fashionably, is house-proud and an bit moody.

The wife of Manchester United footballer David Beckham attracted 44% of readers' votes - twice as much as her nearest rival, TV star and Rear of the Year, Denise Van Outen.

The former Big Breakfast presenter was said to be successful, into funk music, game for a laugh, keen on fast cars and an Essex girl-done-good.

Actress Liz Hurley came third in the poll, ahead of an highly unlikely sex symbol, Tory politician The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe.

Kidman fails in shut eyes test

The 52-year-old MP for Maidstone and The Weald was described as not suffering fools, plain-speaking, quick-witted, interested in politics and driven.

The shadow home secretary, dubbed Doris Karloff, won a healthy 9% of the vote, triumphing over Eyes Wide Shut star Nicole Kidman.

"It seems men prefer a self-proclaimed virgin to the woman who was last year billed as the theatrical version of Viagra," said Paul Colbert, editor of ZM.

This blind poll contradicts a recent vote in showbiz magazine Heat, in which Kidman and her husband Tom Cruise were proclaimed sexiest couple - ahead of the Beckhams.

Kidman may take some solace in beating comedian Lily Savage in the ZM vote.

Savage's wit-girl beats Tara's It-girl

Flamboyant Savage, who hosts the BBC One quiz Blankety Blank, is the alter ego of actor Paul O'Grady.

Troubled socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was not so lucky. The 'It-girl' polled just 2% of the vote, well behind the peroxide-blonde drag artist.

A similar exercise carried out by ZM, asking female readers to pick their ideal man, reached an equally surprising conclusion.