 To some she's a makeover messiah, to others Nicky Hambleton-Jones is a frightening fashion advisor who's the scourge of anyone overweight, bad skinned... and who looks far older than their passport suggests. The presenter of Channel 4's Ten Years Younger, who this month comes to Birmingham to compere Style Birmingham's glamorous fashion show, is in truth neither of these. She's somewhere in between. "I do it all tongue in cheek," says the South African image consultant. "I will walk in - 'hi, okay, now I'm going to be really tough, be real harsh but take it with a pinch of salt', then do my bit [on camera] and then go (whispers) 'are you okay, everything alright?' "I do mean what I say, it's not like I'm just faking it," she stresses. "At the end of the day if they were perfect they wouldn't be there; they know very well what their shortcomings are, you just have to point them out to the viewer. "Yes, cosmetic surgery is a big part of the show," she says. "But now it's becoming smaller and smaller, it's so much more about the clothes and their make-up. "Some viewers are interested in the actual cosmetic procedures, but on the other hand a lot of viewers are never going to have surgery or do cosmetic treatments and they want to have tips and things that they can take home. Last series we really increased the fashion element of the programme - it's got to have that aspirational and inspirational element to the show." With Series 4 currently in production, Ten Years Younger has been a huge hit for Nicky and Birmingham-based Maverick Television who make the show. Selecting (willing) members of the public in need of a makeover - both sartorially and cosmetically - and literally taking years off them, the programme, along with the likes of You Are What You Eat, is amongst the latest batch of self-improvement/lifestyle shows that are proving a big ratings winner. All Nicky needs now are more men and celebrities on the show: "When you think about a guy that looks old, for most of them it's a weight issue," says Nicky. "Think of a man, and it's a little bit of a comb over maybe, and the paunch and terrible glasses; there's not a hell of a lot you can do about that - yes, lose the glasses, shave off the comb over - but we don't have enough time for them to lose that amount of weight. "Celebrities is really tough because a) they don't want to be called up - 'hi, do you want to come on Ten Years Younger?' - oh my god, the poor celebrity booker, not a great job... and b) lots of them have so much intervention they don't necessarily look bad, but I am trying to get them on... we're always on the look out. "I think particularly people like Teri Hatcher and Marcia Cross [look good for their age] - they look great," says Nicky. "Madonna looks good for her age - I think she's a little bit too muscly and can look a bit haggard sometimes, but she is 48! Sophia Loren, she's 71 and looks fab; people can be inspirational like that." While Nicky has been to Birmingham several times - and Maverick are based in the city - she's not yet had chance to fully explore the retail offerings of the Bullring, Mailbox and the like. But then, surprisingly, she reveals she's not the world's biggest shopaholic: "I don't do very much these days, I don't get time to shop," she admits. "I love shopping, but I'm not an obsessive shopper - I don't go in: 'gotta have, gotta have...', I'm quite strategic, I know exactly what I'm looking for and I take time; I went to New York a few weeks ago on an intended shopping spree and shopped a lot but didn't actually buy that much, which is disappointing really - I think I'm just getting fussier as I get older! "I think a little bit of vanity is not a bad thing," Nicky adds. "I think it's all about pride in yourself and to have pride you have to have an element of vanity. When you become so self-absorbed that all you can talk about is yourself and the way you look, that's when you cross the line. "We all have more respect for people that actually like themselves and make an effort to look after themselves, and in order to have self-esteem there is an element of vanity in that. "To me it's making the most of what you've been given." * Nicky hosts Style Birmingham:The Show, Birmingham Council House on October 20. A glamorous star-studded night, the evening begins with a champagne reception, after which top international catwalk models plus athletes Ashia Hansen and Nathan Douglas will showcase fabulous autumn/winter collections from all of the city's top retailers. | 
