Billboard Magazine: Bret Michaels Abs Real

Bret Michaels’ abs are the real deal, thank you very much. When the bleach-blonde rocker stripped down for the cover of Billboard Magazine, a number eagle-eyed critics argued that there was no way that 47-year-old with a recent history of health troubles could host abs that would put Rambo to shame — such as the ones in the cover shot.

Well, the bosses at Billboard have silenced all the haters by releasing an unedited version of the cover shot, pre-Photoshop.

“The final cover version shows Bret’s real muscles,” says Billboard photo editor Amelia Halverson.

She said she simply made Bret’s abs look slightly more symmetrical, tanned his skin a bit, and smoothed out a few lines on his face.

“It was a pretty standard retouching for him compared to anybody else. I just don’t know if he’s more controversial, or if it’s just more of a shocker that he took everything off and happens to have a nice body,” Halverson adds.

“When he took off his shirt, I was like, ‘This guy’s in shape for 47!’” said Blair Bunting, the photographer behind the saucy shot. “It’s always easy for someone to cry ‘Photoshop,’ so I wasn’t too surprised by that…but he takes his shape seriously.”