Susannah Constantine and Trinny Woodall found fame on the hit BBC fashion makeover show What Not to Wear, which first aired in 2001. Their combination of straight-talking style advice and trademark boob-grabbing earned them reputations as telly\u2019s most ruthless fashionistas. But, according to Constantine, the show would certainly fail if it was made today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was of its time and came along at the right moment, but it wouldn\u2019t work today and I can understand why. People are fed up of being told what to do,\u201d she explains, and then describes as \u201cexhausting\u201d the need these days to be much more aware of causing offence.<\/p>\n
Does she look back at those days and feel discomfort about how harshly she and Woodall critiqued the wardrobes of people who appeared on the programme? \u201cNo, because genuinely \u2013 both Trinny and I say this \u2013 there\u2019s not one person who regretted coming on our show, not one.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there is one caveat\u2026 \u201cThe one thing I do regret was when Jo Brand did our show. I\u2019m really ashamed, looking back. I have little whiskers on my chin, which I pluck, and she had a little whisker on her chin, which I plucked and it really offended her. I felt terrible about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Penning her memoir Ready for Absolutely Nothing<\/a> forced the former style guru to confront plenty of shortcomings from her past, including a propensity to \u201ccollect people instead of things\u201d \u2013 note the chapter detailing her obsession with Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, being haunted by her lack of humility after declining Mario Testino\u2019s offer to take her engagement photos and the impact her years of alcoholism had on her family, particularly her children, Joe, 23, Esme, 21, and Cece, 19.<\/p>\n Constantine has been now been alcohol-free for seven years, notwithstanding two relapses, which she describes as \u201camazing for me, not for anyone else\u201d. Constantine is sitting in her kitchen at the 127-acre property in rural West Sussex that she shares with her children and Sten Bertelsten, 58, her Danish husband of 27 years.<\/p>\n There are a plethora of half-full bottles of wine and spirits around her home, but she insists she\u2019s no longer at risk of temptation, because the rewards of sobriety are too precious to lose.<\/p>\n \u201cI see the world now,\u201d she says. \u201cI see the little things. I\u2019m much more efficient, more present and my life is completely different. Not in how I live but how I perceive my life, how I see what\u2019s around me and the gratitude I have for even the tiny things.\u201d<\/p>\n Constantine takes anti-anxiety medication but being teetotal means her triggers \u2013 anything from being \u201ccaught out telling a little white lie\u201d or helping her kids through problems (\u201cI\u2019m very codependent with their emotions\u201d) \u2013 are these days less likely to push stress into anxiety. And although parenting pressures often leave her feeling overwrought, she thrives on being needed.<\/p>\n \u201cMotherhood consolidates my worth within my family. There are times when I think Sten is a much better father than I am a mother, so then I\u2019ll cook something amazing to try and make myself feel better about it! I\u2019m a good mum, although I\u2019m a bit of a pushover.\u201d<\/p>\n Delighted to announce details of my next book, available for pre-order now\u2026@MichaelJBooks<\/a> @PenguinUKBooks<\/a> #susannaconstantine<\/a> #newbook<\/a>#BookTwitter<\/a> #booklovers<\/a> #books<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lOp4pjs6dk<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Susannah Constantine (@snhconstantine) April 8, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/11\/susannah-constantine-trinny-woodall-2ed4857.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>