Susannah Constantine
Fashion guru and television presenter, who became famous as the co-host of What Not to Wear in 2001, with Trinny Woodall.
“…reminds us why these two well-dressed, slightly chaotic, posh ladies are so entertaining”
I'm much more self-conscious clothed than unclothed. I'm a frustrated Page Three girl. I have no shame about my body.
It is a myth that style can't be learnt. It's all about dressing for your body shape, following the rules and wearing colours that suit your skin tone.
It’s been very satisfying to design a range which is all about shape. It’s not about what size you are, it’s about how you can minimise or accentuate parts of your body with clothing. That’s what we’ve created.
Susannah at home is quite the opposite to Trinny... Susannah has a big rambling house and there's dogs and there's kids and there's nannies, and you can come over anytime you like, and if you can have supper she'll throw it together in a minute. It's easy, it's fabulous to be around her.
The show is much more emotional now. It's a journey, but it is still about clothes, too. It's been fascinating to see how looking good and having faith in your appearance makes you into a sexier person, which makes you attractive to your partner again. We come in as complete strangers and get to know them all extremely well. It was a privilege for Trinny and I to have these people feel they could open up to us. It was very humbling, too.
For us, it’s all about shape, and how that is going to cure a bodily defect.
Trinny and Susannah are what they are — there's no fakery.
What it is, is that you're (Trinny) the accelerator and I'm (Susannah) the break. And that's why it works.
We've created a range of clothing which is almost like a prescription from the doctor. Our clothes do the same thing. If you're not happy with your bum, then there's a coat that's going to hide it. If you want to create a waist, there's a dress that's going to do that for you too. We've designed it very much around the female body."
Susannah ... is on the right side of voluptuous and more laid-back. She loses things likes credit cards and keys.
Ultimately, what we're doing is giving people confidence. We're probably the only people who have an opinion, who care how ordinary people dress. No one at Vogue magazine gives a shit. They work with the designers, it's more creative and artistic — they are creating something beautiful. But they don't care about how their readers end up looking — whereas we do!
Our primary concern is not to be style icons ourselves.
Too fat, too thin, what the fuck are you supposed to be? God bless the media!
I had one little glimpse in the mirror and it was like an electric shock. Horrifying. It took me three or four days to get over it. On air, the plastic surgeon said: "Would you have anything done?" Oh no, I said. "Do you smoke?" No, never. Soon as the camera was off I took his card and had a cigarette.
This series is more campaigning. It is more journalistic, but still hugely entertaining. It's a show we feel more proud of than anything we've done to date.
Susannah has become less of a Sloane Ranger and more into real life. She’s also more career-minded.
In social situations I still feel scared. My best friend and husband give me the freedom to be myself.
My boobs are the bane of my life, they're a real burden. Every time I have a baby, I go up two sizes. I'll probably be an E cup after this. I can't bear it.
I did have Botox once and I felt like I'd had a stroke. It was so claustrophobic.