Susannah Constantine
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Susannah Caroline Constantine (born 3 June 1962) is an English former TV fashion 'guru', fashion writer, style advisor, television fashion presenter,
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
and clothes
designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
. Her second book, ''What Not to Wear'', co-written with her fashion partner
Trinny Woodall Sarah-Jane Duncanson "Trinny" Woodall (born 8 February 1964) is a British beauty Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, Businessperson, businesswoman, Fashion journalism, fashion and makeover expert, television presenter and author. Woodall initially ...
, won her a British Book Award and sold 670,000 copies. Constantine was born into a wealthy family; her father was successful in property and shipping sectors. She was privately educated as a child and went on to date British royalty,
David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (born 3 November 1961), styled as Viscount Linley until 2017 and known professionally as David Linley, is an English furniture maker, a former chairman of the auction house Christie's UK, ...
, during the 1980s. Constantine has been involved in fashion for a long period, originally working in America for Giorgio Armani and then
John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creat ...
in London. She met
Trinny Woodall Sarah-Jane Duncanson "Trinny" Woodall (born 8 February 1964) is a British beauty Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, Businessperson, businesswoman, Fashion journalism, fashion and makeover expert, television presenter and author. Woodall initially ...
in 1994, with whom she proceeded to co-write a weekly fashion column, ''Ready to Wear''. They founded Ready2shop.com, a dot-com fashion advice business, and wrote their first fashion advice book in 2000, ''Ready 2 Dress'', both of which failed. From there they were commissioned to
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
to host the style series, '' What Not to Wear'', from 2001 to 2005. She made regular appearances as a style advisor on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'' and following her success on the shows, she went on to co-host '' Trinny & Susannah Undress...'' on ITV in 2006 and '' Undress the Nation'' in 2007. Although not formally trained in journalism or in fashion, she has successfully co-written fashion advice books with Woodall, some of which have become best-sellers in the United Kingdom and United States. It is estimated that her various style advice books have sold 2.5 million copies in Britain and the United States.
Trinny and Susannah Have Launched the Official TrinnyAndSusannah.com Website
' – pr.com. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
Constantine and Woodall have designed their own clothing range for Littlewoods which made its debut in 2007, followed by the release of their last fashion advice book, ''The Body Shape Bible''.


Early life

Constantine was born at
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...
, and raised at
Knipton Knipton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Belvoir, in the Melton district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It lies about from the town of Grantham, just off the A607, and from Melton Mowbray. It borders the ...
, a small village in
Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
. Her father, Joseph Constantine, was an
Old Etonian Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
who served as an officer in the
Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
. He was of a Yorkshire landed gentry family that traces back to the 1100s.Burke's Landed Gentry, 17th ed., 1952, ed. L. G. Pine, p. 515, 'Constantine of Tanton Grange' pedigree Through her paternal grandmother, Marie Leonie Francoise (née van Haaren), she descends from Dutch prince
William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...
.


Education

Constantine was educated at boarding schools including
Queen's Gate School Queen's Gate School is an independent day school for girls aged 4–18 in Queen's Gate, South Kensington, London, England. The ''Good Schools Guide'' described it as a "Charming popular school, with a mixed intake, which does jolly well by its g ...
in
South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
, London
Fiona Neill Fiona Neill is a British author and journalist. She has written five Sunday Times bestsellers including Her last novel, The Betrayals which sold over 130,000 copies and was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection. She has worked as a foreign corres ...
.
Retail therapists (Pages 1, 2 & 3)
' – The Times. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
and St Mary's School in
Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic county of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire since 1974. T ...
,
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
which was run by Anglican nuns. She was first sent to boarding school at the age of 11 years, and recalls her first night away from home: "I sobbed uncontrollably into my pillow."''Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine: In bed with the first ladies of fashion''
, The Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
In mid-2007, Constantine spoke about how she received a letter from St Mary's School, inviting her to come back to the school to talk about her career and success to current pupils. Constantine immediately declined the offer and wrote "No fucking way" on the letter she had received.


Early career

Constantine originally did a year of
Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
training after she had left school but she then moved onto other projects such as studying sculpture in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. She later said of this time that she "lost ervirginity, went a bit mad."Barbara Ellen.
God's gift to women
' – guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
Constantine had taught children for three years,Rachelle Thackray
Me And My Partner: Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine
' – independent.co.uk. Retrieved from findarticles.com 13 April 2007.
and also worked as a shop girl for
Harrods Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...
.John Arlidge
Just a couple of swells
' – observer.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
She wrote a book about present giving, which prompted ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' to write an article implying she had never done a day's work in her life, something which deeply upset her.Sabine Durrant
'They wanted to give us a good scrubbing'
' – guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
She has stated "I've ''always'' worked." She worked as a shop girl in America for Giorgio Armani. She later came back to London working for designers such as Richard James,
Patrick Cox Patrick Cox (born March 19, 1963) is a Canadian-British fashion designer and an eponymous fashion label specializing in the creation of shoes, leather goods and accessories. Cox is most noted for the use of unusual materials and a mixture of av ...
, Alistair Blair and
John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the creat ...
which gained her an understanding of fashion. She then started working with the British Brain and Spine Foundation and consequently met the sports editor of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
''. Whilst doing a piece for ''
GMTV GMTV (an acronym for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited, was the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 ...
'', he asked Constantine to report the women's World Cup Final in
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
. She proceeded to write about cars and then fashion. In 1994, she first met
Trinny Woodall Sarah-Jane Duncanson "Trinny" Woodall (born 8 February 1964) is a British beauty Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, Businessperson, businesswoman, Fashion journalism, fashion and makeover expert, television presenter and author. Woodall initially ...
at a party hosted by
David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (born 3 November 1961), styled as Viscount Linley until 2017 and known professionally as David Linley, is an English furniture maker, a former chairman of the auction house Christie's UK, ...
. The two women wrote ''Ready to Wear'', a weekly style guide for ''The Daily Telegraph'' for seven years. The column promoted affordable high-street fashion and they used themselves to illustrate which clothing suited which figure. Constantine and Woodall became the co-founders of Ready2shop.com, but the business venture failed, and investors lost a reputed £10 million.Neil Tweedie.
No, seriously . . . does my cheque look big in this?
' – Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
Constantine made her television debut when
Granada Sky Broadcasting ITV Digital Channels Limited (formerly known as Granada Sky Broadcasting) is a wholly owned subsidiary of British broadcaster ITV plc. It manages all of the company's television channels with the exception of ITV, which is part of the entir ...
signed her and Woodall to present a daytime shopping show called ''Ready to Wear'', and they released their first fashion advice book, ''Ready 2 Dress'' in 2000. The book was unsuccessful and resulted in the pulping of 13,000 copies.Nigel Reynolds.
Fashion 'makeover queens' land £1m book deal
' – BroadcastNow. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
Soon after the start of their television career, they secured a frequent makeover slot on the show ''
Richard & Judy ''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...
''. It ensured that they had further exposure in television and gained attention from
Jane Root Jane Fairbairn Root (born 18 May 1957) is a creative executive in the media industry, who has run major television networks on both sides of the Atlantic. As Controller of BBC Two (1999 to 2004), she was the first woman to be a channel controller f ...
, controller of
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
, who signed them up after their book venture and their internet business had failed badly.


Television


2001–03

Constantine began co-hosting '' What Not to Wear'' with Trinny Woodall in 2001, in which they criticised participants' appearances and fashion style. Constantine and Woodall hosted ''What Not to Wear'' until 2005 and became renowned for their behaviour with the participants, direct advice,Sarah Lyall.
They Skewer Your Wardrobe In Public
' – nytimes.com. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
and frequently referring to
breast The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...
s as tits.Vicky Allan.
Mammary mia!
' – sundayherald.co.uk. Retrieved from findarticles.com 18 August 2007.
A notorious moment arose when Constantine spontaneously pulled a female candidate's underwear down during filming as her knicker line was visible. Critics of ''What Not to Wear'' argued that the duo were too patronising to their subjects, a claim which they strongly disagree with. Constantine insists that their subjects "see we have a genuine love of women. We love women and they can see that. Women just know." She also stated "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 Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' 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!" The show made Constantine and Woodall household names and they are now known together as Trinny and Susannah. One reporter has simply referred to Constantine as "the one with 'big tits'." Constantine has the belief that "anyone can achieve style. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from." She also says that she finds dressing other women easy, but finds it difficult when dressing herself.Catherine Deveney
Deceiving appearances
' – scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
Constantine and Woodall share the belief that dressing to flatter body shape is vital, stating "For us, it’s all about shape, and how that is going to cure a bodily defect. We’re like clothing doctors." During her time co-hosting ''What Not to Wear'', she and Woodall won a
Royal Television Society Award The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
in 2002 for being the best factual presenters. In 2002, Constantine advised
Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in Driving, motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' an ...
on a celebrity version of ''What Not to Wear''. After Clarkson appeared on the show, Nasir Khan stated "I'd rather eat my own hair than shop with these two onstantine and Woodallagain". The show was nominated for the Features Award at the
BAFTAS The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
in both 2002 and 2003. On the show ''
Big Impression ''The Big Impression'', known as ''Alistair McGowan's Big Impression'' for the first three series, is a British comedy sketch show. It features Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona impersonating personalities from entertainment and sport. Four serie ...
'', impressionist
Ronni Ancona Veronica "Ronni" Jane Ancona (born 4 July 1966)''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' is a British actress, comedian, impressionist and writer best known for '' The Big Impression'', which she co-wrote and starred in an ...
took to spoofing Constantine's presenting techniques on ''What Not to Wear''. For charity, in 2002 during the BBC's '' Children in Need'' programme, both Constantine and Woodall performed their own version of
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
's hit single "
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
". They became the faces of
Nescafé Nescafé is a brand of coffee made by Nestlé. It comes in many different forms. The name is a portmanteau of the words "Nestlé" and "café". Nestlé first introduced their flagship coffee brand in Switzerland on 1 April 1938. History Nestl ...
in 2003 in which they were featured in television advertisements promoting the brand of coffee. As part of their contract, Constantine and Woodall gave a Nescafé competition winner a £10,000 makeover.


2004–05

Following its ratings success, ''What Not to Wear'' was promoted from
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
to
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
in 2004. The format was changed slightly, to a 60-minute show with two makeovers instead of a 30-minute show with only one makeoverJason Deans.
Makeover queens switch to BBC1
' – guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2007.
and also saw Constantine spending a day as one of her subjects. ''What Not to Wear'' was also aired in countries such as Spain and Portugal as well as in the
American continent The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...
. Constantine appeared on ''Children in Need'' in 2004, which included a special segment in which she gave the fictional ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' characters Little Mo and
Mo Harris Mo Harris (also known as "Big Mo") is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', who made her first appearance on 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in the 2004 soap "bubble" '' ...
a makeover in the style of ''What Not to Wear'', commenting on them with her usual "no nonsense" approach. In 2005, Constantine voiced a robot version of herself in the
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
series, ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''. ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...
'' has also seen Constantine and Woodall appearing twice as makeover and style experts. They also did an "Oprah bra and swimsuit intervention". Reflecting on differences in women's style and willingness to submit to makeovers between the UK and America, she stated that although there is not much difference, "The Americans are slightly less adventurous," and that "American women are more open to change and slightly more receptive victims."


2006–present

In 2006, Constantine and Woodall moved from the BBC to
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
to start a new show, '' Trinny & Susannah Undress...'', on 3 October. The second series of ''Trinny & Susannah Undress...'' was transmitted in June 2007, and it maintained the format of series one which saw Constantine and Woodall advising couples who were finding problems within their marriage. Constantine stated in an interview that filming the show was very emotionally draining, and as a result, she often went home crying. The programme did not come without its critics who questioned the depth at which Constantine and Woodall could deal with serious issues raised during the programme. On 16 October 2006, they both appeared on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
'' and performed makeovers on three women especially for the show. The new series on ITV saw a change in format. In one episode exploring the theme of age, Constantine was transformed into a seventy-year-old with the use of prosthetics and makeup. She stated that it took her four days to get over the sight of herself aged so drastically, and compared the feeling to having an "electric shock". Broadcasting was scheduled for 7 November 2007 and the programme is newly entitled ''
Trinny & Susannah Undress The Nation ''Trinny & Susannah Undress the Nation'' is a British reality fashion-themed television documentary series on ITV featuring fashion advisors Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine. The newly formatted series, stemming from '' Trinny & Susanna ...
''. On 5 November and 28 December 2007 Constantine and Woodall appeared on ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' and performed makeovers on three women for the show and gave style advice according to the women's shapes. They also reported on the fashion at the
80th Academy Awards The 80th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2007. The award ceremony took place on February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During t ...
especially for the show in 2008. Constantine and Woodall have dressed over 5,000 women as of 2007. In 2015, Constantine took part in the fifteenth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. She was the first campmate to be eliminated from the show. On 21 August 2018, it was announced that Constantine would be a contestant on the sixteenth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
''. Her professional dance partner was
Anton du Beke Anthony Paul Beke (born 20 July 1966), known professionally as Anton Du Beke (), is a British ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dancer, and television presenter, best known for being a professional dancer and later a judge on the BBC One cele ...
. She and du Beke were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition after scoring the lowest scoring
Samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
and
Foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...
in the show's history, both which scored just 12 points from the judges.


Beyond television work


Online

In 2010, Constantine and Woodall starred in an online
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
series called "Trinny and Susannah: What They Did Next". An announcement was made that Constantine and Woodall would be touring
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
where they made a series of public appearances at shopping malls owned by the
Westfield Group Westfield Group was an Australian shopping centre company that existed from 1960 to 2014, when it split into two independent companies: Scentre Group, which owns and operates the Australian and New Zealand Westfield shopping centre portfolio; ...
to perform live styling sessions for the company's customers.Ellen Connolly.
British reality show comes to Australia
' — news.com.au. Retrieved 26 December 2007.


' – scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
Their appearances often attracted thousands of spectators. Before the tour, Constantine said "We don't know how New Zealanders dress but we are looking forward to getting over there and finding out."


Littlewoods

With Woodall, Constantine became the face of the home shopping company, Littlewoods Direct, after orders rose by thirty per cent when Littlewoods sponsored their ITV programme ''Trinny & Susannah Undress''.Editors at The Times.
Littlewoods signs up Trinny and Susannah
' – timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved February 2007.
The pair produced a twelve-page fashion advice section within the Littlewoods catalogue and made a booklet called ''The Golden Rules'', which was distributed to all Littlewoods customers with fashion advice to suit a range of body shapes. They have also produced online style guidelines for Littlewoods. The first series of Littlewoods television advertisements featured Constantine and Woodall as themselves dressed as two agents trying to rob a Littlewoods designer warehouse, which was followed by Christmas adverts in 2007. The £12 million advertising campaign is one of largest ever for a home shopping and internet-based company. When the campaign began, Littlewoods' sales rose by 18 per cent, with brand awareness and customers visiting the website rising as well. On 20 September 2007, Constantine and Woodall launched their own Littlewoods women's clothing range which consists of trousers, coats and tops which like their underwear range, are designed to make certain areas appear slimmer. A series of eight dresses, cashmere knitwear, faux fur and
sequin A sequin () is a small, typically shiny, generally disk-shaped ornament. Sequins are also referred to as paillettes, spangles, or ''diamanté'' (also spelled ''diamante''). Although the words sequins, paillettes, lentejuelas, and spangles can ...
ned shrugs also feature in the range.Maria Croce.
Scots Are So Stylish.. And Ewan Mcgregor Looks Fab In A Kilt
' – dailyrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2007.


Books

Constantine has co-written several style advice books with her fashion partner Trinny Woodall, which have sold over an estimated 2½ million copies worldwide. The fashion advice books have been number one bestsellers in Britain and the United States, appearing on both the Sunday Times bestseller list and
The New York Times best-seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
, and have been translated throughout the world. Their most successful book to date, ''What Not to Wear'', was published in 2002 which displayed chapters such as "Big Tits", "No Tits" and "Big Bum" with fashion advice for each category.James Sherwood.
Trinny and Susannah: Frock Stars
' – The Independent Retrieved 15 November 2021.
It became an instant best-seller with total sales reaching 670,000 copies.
Parkinson
'' – parkinson.tangozebra.com. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
John Cassy.
What Not To Wear is just what to buy
' – guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
Before the prime book selling season, their book had sold 250,000 copies in Britain. The book was at one point selling 45,000 copies each week and sold 300,000 copies in just fifteen weeks, eventually making sales worth £8.7 million. Other success with the book includes winning a British Book Award in 2003 for the TV & Film Book of the Year.
British Book Awards
'' – britishbookawards.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2007.
Despite the book becoming an instant hit, Constantine and Woodall were only given an advance of £10,000. It was then reported that Constantine and Woodall secured a £1 million book deal to write more of their fashion books. The pair's latest book, ''The Body Shape Bible'', was published on 18 September 2007.Caz Moss.

' – femalefirst.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2007.
In the book, women can interpret which body shape they are, and can then be given adequate fashion advice on their own individual shape. A few pages in the book are also devoted to illustrating some of Constantine and Woodall's own fashion disasters. In 2017 she published her first novel, After the Snow.


Podcast

In January 2020, Constantine launched ''My Wardrobe Malfunction'', a "revealing podcast about our relationship with the items we wear". Guests were invited to share their 'comfort blanket', 'burial suit' and 'wardrobe malfunction'. The first season featured interviews with eight high-profile guests:
Michelle Visage Michelle Lynn Case (nee Shupack), better known as Michelle Visage (born September 20, 1968), is an American singer, television host, actress, radio DJ and producer. She first gained recognition as a member of the musical group Seduction which ...
,
Tan France Tanveer Wasim "Tan" France ( Safdar; born 20 April 1983) is a British-American fashion designer and television personality. Of Pakistani descent, he is one of the first openly gay South Asian men on a major show and one of the first out Muslim ...
,
Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress and model. As an actress, her best-known film roles have been as Vanessa Kensington in ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) and as the Devil in ''Bedazzled (2000 ...
,
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...
,
Trinny Woodall Sarah-Jane Duncanson "Trinny" Woodall (born 8 February 1964) is a British beauty Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, Businessperson, businesswoman, Fashion journalism, fashion and makeover expert, television presenter and author. Woodall initially ...
,
Joe Sugg Joseph Graham Sugg (born 8 September 1991) is an English YouTuber and actor. In 2012, he began posting videos on the YouTube channel ThatcherJoe, currently at over 7 million subscribers. In 2018, he was a finalist on the sixteenth series of '' ...
, Kristin Scott Thomas and
Stacey Dooley Stacey Jaclyn Dooley (born 9 March 1987) is an English television presenter, journalist, and media personality. She came to prominence in 2008 when she appeared as a participant on '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts''. Since then, she has made socia ...
. It continued throughout the year and, by December 2020, there had been five seasons and 40 episodes in total. Season six began on 4 February 2021 with
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was List of English consorts, Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their Wives of Henry VIII, marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen followi ...
as the first guest.


Personal life

When she was young, Constantine would rely on her father for fashion advice and has commented that any style that she has, she learned from him. He was a talented artist and was offered worldwide art exhibitions, although he was too modest to accept. His death came suddenly and was a milestone for Constantine. Constantine became a fixture in 1980s British gossip columns and newspapers as the result of her relationship with
Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth  ...
's son,
David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon (born 3 November 1961), styled as Viscount Linley until 2017 and known professionally as David Linley, is an English furniture maker, a former chairman of the auction house Christie's UK, ...
, which lasted for eight years. Constantine admitted that her relationship with Linley undeniably opened doors for her, but after they broke up, she was keen to put the episode behind her and become well known in her own right. She dated
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...
, then a
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er and playboy, later
Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
, in 1992. She also visited
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in the time of the short-lived relationship. Constantine married Danish entrepreneur and businessman Sten Bertelsen, who launched Death cigarettes, with whom she has three children; Joe, Esme and CeCe. Constantine and her family bought a property in
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
. Constantine has spoken of the constant pressure to look good in public but affirms "We're as much in the business of dressing ourselves – but more importantly helping other women to do that." Constantine has admitted to a fear of growing older: "I just don't want to get old. Old women are invisible, and I don't want to be invisible," she has said. In 2002, while on a visit to the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, Constantine and Woodall were the victims of gem thieves. The thieves broke into the villa on the
French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
where they were staying, rendered Constantine and Woodall unconscious with
chloroform Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...
, and then continued to steal money and jewellery.
Carol Vorderman Carol Jean Vorderman, HonFIET (born 24 December 1960) is a Welsh media personality, best known for appearing on the game show ''Countdown'' for 26 years from 1982 until 2008, as a newspaper columnist and nominal author of educational and diet ...
was involved in a feud with Constantine and Woodall in 2003. Vorderman commented harshly about the double-act, referring to them as 'Tranny and the Horse', based on their appearance, after they had called her an "overdone Eighties nightmare" and named Vorderman in their list of the 20 worst-dressed celebrities.


Views

In August 2014, Constantine was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue. In August 2020, she said she hates cyclists so much that if she saw her own husband out on the road in Lycra, she would run him over. Speaking on the ''My Wardrobe Malfunction'' podcast, Constantine said “Oh I hate cycling, I won’t cycle. No, I fucking hate cyclists. My husband is a cyclist and if I see him on the road on his bicycle, I’m going to run him over... And the day when I know I’m about to die, I’m going to get in my car, aged 90, and I’m going to drive into cyclists wearing Lycra, kill the lot of them and go and die in Guam.”Susannah Constantine (from Trinny and Susannah) says she hates cyclists so much she would run over her own husband if she saw him out on his bike ‘I'm going to get in my car aged 90 and I'm going to kill the lot of them and go and die in jail’... by Alex Bowden Sat, 18 July 2020 https://road.cc/content/news/susannah-trinny-and-susannah-hates-cyclists-275557


Bibliography

* ''Ready 2 Dress: How to Have Style Without Following Fashion'', Weidenfeld Nicolson (14 February 2000) () * ''What Not to Wear'', Weidenfeld Nicolson (5 September 2002) () * ''What Not to Wear: The Rules'', Weidenfeld Nicolson (1 June 2004) () * ''What Not to Wear: For Every Occasion'', Weidenfeld Nicolson (1 June 2004) () * ''What You Wear Can Change Your Life'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson (17 September 2004) () * ''What Your Clothes Say About You'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson (29 September 2005) () * ''Trinny and Susannah: The Survival Guide'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, (20 September 2006) () * ''Trinny & Susannah Take on America: What Your Clothes Say about You'', HarperCollins Publishers (October 2006) () * ''The Body Shape Bible'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson (18 September 2007) () * ''Who do you want to be today? Be Inspired to Dress Differently'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson (11 September 2008) ()


Television appearances


See also

* List of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) contestants *
List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants The following is a list of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' contestants to date along with their age at the time of competing, professional partners, competition finish, number of dances, highest and lowest scores, total scores and average scores. This ...


References


External links


Trinny and Susannah's website
*
''Trinny & Susannah Undress''
at
itv.com itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV brand (or the UTV brand in Northern Ireland). The website offers online streaming, ...

Trinny and Susannah: What They Did Next
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine, Susannah 1962 births Living people English television presenters English fashion journalists British Book Award winners English non-fiction writers English fashion designers People educated at Queen's Gate School People educated at St Mary’s School, Wantage People educated at Heathfield School, Ascot Fashion stylists English women journalists I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants British women fashion designers