Reality television shows about beauty and looks can boost people's confidence if handled correctly. Viva talks to Myleene Klass, host of 10 Years Younger and former member of reality television band Hear'Say about her show.
How does 10 Years Younger compare to other shows you have worked on in terms of how you warm to the contestants?
To me the women and men are very vulnerable so you have to be respectful of that. A lot of the reasons these people are here is not to be laughed at. Some have been left by their husbands, some have been smoking 20 a day.
Why do we like watching them?
It's the Cinderella effect. You want to see them achieve their goal especially when it has been so hideous for them beforehand, and you can pick up some tips for yourself. In a time when things are not going fantastically well economically we want a bit of cheering up; we want to know it's not all down-hill when you reach a certain age.
Does older and wiser not really provide enough comfort for people these days?
No, I think it's a bit unfair to write people off when they get to a certain age.
Do you think the show exists because of ageism?
Well, you could go all the way back to the pyramids, when they first started boob jobs. There's always been a fascination with beauty and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you very quickly learn that.
Who is the best-looking older celebrity in your opinion?
One woman I interviewed, Juliette Binoche, is not a woman in her 20s but I thought she was the most exquisitely beautiful woman I had ever met. She said "would you like to do this interview in French, Italian or English?". And I just thought wow. To me that's just the mark of a really beautiful, dignified, elegant lady.
And the best-looking man?
That's easier because men are lucky, they look better as they get older, they get that very distinguished look. I'm very fortunate because I have had the chance to meet everyone from George Clooney to DeNiro and Matt Damon up close. I would say Matt Damon got to me, he was very pretty.
Do natural remedies actually work, or is it best to go under the knife in your opinion?
Natural remedies do work, you don't have to choose the most dramatic procedure just because it's available. Sometimes people just need to have a hair cut or their teeth straightened out or just to show that they have a shape beneath all of the baggy clothes. One woman on the show had her husband walk out and leave her for another woman. She decided she never wanted another man to look at her, she just wanted to shut down. She had a stunning figure, one of a 20-year-old, hidden under all the baggy clothes. Often it's just about giving women a little bit of confidence because they have been knocked in the past.
After watching so many people transform on camera, is there any one thing that you think people could do to make themselves look younger?
I think it's just general tweaks. The most beautiful women are sometimes those who just walk into a room and hold your attention, and it's just things that give you inner confidence. Sometimes that comes from just having a new haircut, or wearing something that actually suits you.
What's the ideal age?
For me I wouldn't go back to being in my 20s for all the money in the world. I'm 32 now and I like this age, I really do. I might have had the best skin in my 20s but confidence-wise I didn't have any of it. I didn't know what made me happy; that shows that age does benefit.
Do you have any tricks that you use to make yourself look good when you are having an off-day - like at the moment you are battling morning sickness.
Oh my goodness morning sickness has hit me badly this time around, so I have been trying all the tricks I have in my arsenal. Use very light makeup, a lot of women use it as a camouflage but it should be used to accentuate the good bits. Don't be so hard on yourself. We compare ourselves to people who have been airbrushed and who have amazing genetics. But see it as a piece of art, not that you have to look like that.
Have you had many people on the show who were looking older because they were trying to look younger - that whole mutton dressed as lamb thing?
Yes, absolutely. There was one woman who was dressing up in her daughter's clothes. What was beginning to happen was she looked one age from the back and when she turned around she looked a completely different age. It's not about wearing the youngest outfit.
What's the biggest fashion crime you have noticed around on the street?
Too-tight trousers. Nobody knows the size you are wearing, we have become fixated with size. Even just bad underwear, if you sort that out it can really rectify a multitude of sins. It's like scaffolding. Good foundations build a house. Good scaffolding builds an outfit.
You've changed your body shape while working as a television personality. What's the scariest thing about changing the way you look while everyone is looking?
I have gone up four stone, and back down four stone, I've been pregnant. The scrutiny you come under can make it difficult to smile when people are firing comments at you. But I don't pride myself on my look. I pride myself on what I contribute as a mother, and that I can play the piano and that I'm a good live TV host. I'm confident in what I can offer, so I don't feel like my whole life hangs on my cheekbones. Often I don't have any cheekbones, I've eaten too many pies.
* 10 Years Younger, Fridays 7.30pm, TVOne.
