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A year of living glamorously

22nd January 2006

Alison Dowd was one of the 22 women chosen from 16,000 desperate applicants to take part in the first series of Extreme Makeover UK, as was Charmaine, a 52-year-old mother of two teenage daughters. For years after her husband left her, life was devoted to her daughters. Her evenings were spent ferrying them around, grooming and riding horses, watching TV. Now she is a born-again femme fatale, a glamourpuss who whips out a new satin evening gown with diamante clasp at the bust, perfect for the clubs and casinos she and Noel enjoy on their London weekends.

Arnstein was paid £2 per patient for the first series ("Originally it was £1 but I argued for 2 and I asked for shiny coins") and concedes that it provided a showcase that boosted business at the McIndoe. But the bigger reason for taking part is both laudable and worrying: if he didn’t do the work, he argues, the programme makers might approach a less reputable clinic. Couldn’t the programme makers, Scream Films (for the first series) and Living TV, be trusted to ensure correct principles and procedures? "I don’t want to sound rude, but they don’t know anything about surgery. They know about making films."

To read the full article

The Times
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/beauty/article787723.ece