Most valuable celebrity body parts

Check out our list of the top 10 wackiest celebrity insurance policies!

Most of us have an insurance policy of some kind or another. After all, you are legally required to insure your car if you drive and to insure your property if you have a mortgage.

But how many of you have insured your breasts? Or your smile? Or how about... your sperm?

Believe it or not, this is what some celebrities use their easily-earned cash to do. And most of them have the wackiest reasons for doing it.

Find out who’s insured which bits of their body and how much they think those bits are worth with our top 10 list of the wackiest celebrity insurance policies!

10. Troy Polamalu’s hair - £650,000

American football player Polamalu has not cut his 3ft-long hair since 2000 and recently became a spokesperson for Head & Shoulders. His hair has this week been insured with Lloyds of London for £650,000.

9. Dolly Parton’s breasts - £390,000

The singer has insured each of her breasts for £195,000.  The association of breasts with Dolly Parton’s public image is now so strong that when scientists cloned a sheep from an adult ewe’s mammary gland, they named it Dolly the Sheep.

8. David Lee Roth’s sperm - £650,000

Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth insured his sperm for £650,000.  Not because he was worried his sperm would get damaged or he would fail to conceive – in fact, quite the opposite. Roth’s insurance policy would have paid out if he had accidentally impregnated a groupie. Talk about protected sex....

7. Ugly Betty’s smile - £5 million

America Ferrara is so distinctive for her ugly smile – complete with braces - that Aquafresh has insured it for £5 million. Apparently Ferrara found this ‘flattering’. Hmmm...

6. Jennifer Lopez’s bottom - £18 million

Jennifer Lopez has insured her bottom for around £18 million, one of the largest insurance premiums placed on a celebrity body part. Then again, the part itself is so large and upstanding that Lopez herself is rumoured to have joked that it could be used as a tray to serve drinks on at parties.

5.  Heidi Klum’s legs – £1.4 million

Supermodel Heidi Klum’s right leg is worth more than her left leg. Her right leg is insured for £750,000 but the insurance company would only agree to stump up £650,000 for her left leg, due to a small scar on her left knee.

4. David Beckham’s legs - £100 million

Of course, Heidi’s legs may be nice to look at, but Beckham’s legs are worth far more – and that's a fact: they have been insured for almost 100 times as much, at £100 million. The policy is so large that costs have been spread over several different insurance companies, and his premiums are understood to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

3. Bruce Springsteen’s voice – £3.9 million

American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen has apparently insured his vocal chords for £3.9 million. Rock n’ roll.

2. Michael Flatley’s feet - £25 million

Riverdance performer Michael Flatley has insured his feet for £26 million, the highest premium ever placed on a dancer’s feet. It seems he truly believes he is lord of the dance.

1. Merv Hughes’ moustache - £205,000

It may be a paltry sum in comparison to some insured body parts, but it's surely got to be one of the wackiest. Australian cricketer Merv Hughes has insured his trademark walrus moustache for £205,000. Oh dear. Perhaps Australians can understand why, but we sure can’t...

Top tips for buying insurance

If you’re thinking of buying an insurance policy, and you don’t have millions of pounds to play with, here are some tips to ensure you get the best value policy for your money:

1) Shop around.  While renewing your existing policy may seem like the easy option, it’s rarely the cheapest. New customers very often get the best deals and discounted rates. So don’t automatically renew with your current insurer when your policy comes to an end.

2) Pay in full, upfront. When choosing options for your renewal quote - or a brand new quote - an insurer may give you the option of paying in monthly instalments. However, if at all possible, pay the full amount upfront. That's because you may be charged a hefty interest rate on monthly repayments (sometimes 30% APR or even more). If you don't have the cash to hand, consider paying on 0% purchases credit card. Just make sure you clear the balance before the interest-free period comes to an end. Read The card you must have for purchases to find out more.

3) Don't under/over-insure. Sounds obvious but make sure you’re paying for the right level of cover. Under insure and you risk some of your possessions not being covered, should the worst happen. Conversely, many people over-insure by using the market value of their home as the rebuild value – they are not the same and you could end up paying for far more cover than you need (this rebuild value calculator can help).

4) Don't double up. Don't make the mistake of doubling up on cover and spending more than you need. For example, many of us buy extra insurance in-store to cover the loss, damage or theft of valuable items, like jewellery. Millions of us already have personal possessions cover as part of our home insurance policies - meaning that these sort of items are already covered. Find out whether you're paying twice for insurance.

5) Only opt for insurance you need. While insurance is essential for financial security and all round peace of mind, it is important you only opt for a level of cover relevant to your needs -- and at the best available price. Remember, not everyone needs everything: the key to buying insurance is only to insure against risk you cannot afford to take. Make sure you can tell insurance essentials from the rip-offs!

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