Budget retail chain Zeeman has been praised for its new lingerie advert that features a couple in their sixties and seventies.

Hélène, 65, told RTL she had recently become a grandmother when she posed for the shoot with her husband Ruud, 72, which briefly shows them kissing on a bed.

‘I had to think about it, because what would my children make of it?’ she said. ‘I thought, “Why not?” I think it’s really lovely that I’m still being asked at my age.’

The 30-second ad features people of all ages, including a pregnant woman and a woman with her armpits unshaved, closing with the strapline ‘zo eenvoudig kan het zijn’ – ‘That’s how simple it can be’.

Twitter users heaped praise on the retail chain for its ‘smart’ and inclusive marketing strategy. But Hélène told RTL she was surprised by the reactions.

‘It’s just normal for older people to be like this together,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, whether you have wrinkles or not.’

Go zeeman! #zeeman pic.twitter.com/QxigBV0y2M

— Rachèl Dijkstra (@mickey6521) June 14, 2019

de #Zeeman reclame is het hoogtepunt van het afgelopen uur: uitgekiend, behendig en doeltreffend: https://t.co/BVJWk0Yp0M #NEDCMR

— harry van dooren (@Harevista) June 15, 2019

A spokesman for the company said: ‘This is our way of showing that Zeeman is for everyone and we are close to our customers. We show the products as they are used in daily life.’