When I was running my own property-development company, I worked a lot on building sites with no mirrors at all so I would just wear Timberland boots, big jumpers and dungarees every day.

Being on television changed the way I thought about my appearance completely. Seeing yourself on TV is like watching an embarrassing home video: it's made me more selfcritical and has helped me try to change the things I've got wrong. That's why I've become obsessed with standing up straight, because when you see yourself slouching on telly you think, 'God put your shoulders back!'

I remember my father taking me to Marks & Spencer when I was 11 or 12 and saying to the sales assistant: ?Excuse me, do you have an extremely large bra for this child?" It was at that point that I decided I would start slouching and wearing big clothes.

When I met my husband he made me realise that wearing baggy jumpers didn't make me look smaller, it just made me look fat, so I learned to stand up straight and wear well-fitting clothes instead of looking like this big, slouching mess.

I'm really glad that I make more of an effort now.

It is a slippery slope, that spiral of giving up on the way you look.

Style and image are far more important to me now because I've tasted the fruits of looking a bit better and once you've tried it, it's actually quite addictive.