Susannah Constantine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Susannah Constantine
Constantine on right, next to Trinny Woodall
Born	(1962-06-03) 3 June 1962 (age 63) Hammersmith, London, England
Occupation	Fashion stylist television presenter author
Years active	1994–present
Notable credit(s)	What Not to Wear Trinny & Susannah Undress... Trinny & Susannah Undress the Nation
Spouse(s)	Sten Bertelsen
Children	3

Susannah Caroline Constantine (born June 3, 1962) is an English TV presenter, writer, and fashion expert. She is well-known for her work with fashion partner Trinny Woodall. Their book, What Not to Wear, was very popular and even won an award!

Susannah grew up in a wealthy family. Her father worked in property and shipping. She went to private schools. Susannah has been involved in fashion for a long time. She worked for famous designers like Giorgio Armani and John Galliano.

She met Trinny Woodall in 1994. They started writing a weekly fashion column called Ready to Wear. They also tried to start an online fashion advice business, but it didn't work out. Later, they got a TV show on BBC Two called What Not to Wear. This show ran from 2001 to 2005.

Susannah and Trinny also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. After their success, they hosted other shows like Trinny & Susannah Undress... and Undress the Nation. They have written many best-selling fashion advice books together. It's thought their books have sold 2.5 million copies in the UK and USA. They even designed their own clothing line for Littlewoods.

Early Life and School

Susannah Constantine was born in Hammersmith, London. She grew up in a small village called Knipton in Leicestershire. Her father, Joseph Constantine, was a former officer in the Coldstream Guards. His family had a long history, going back to the 1100s. Through her grandmother, Susannah is related to the Dutch prince William the Silent.

Susannah went to boarding schools. These included Queen's Gate School in London and St Mary's School in Wantage, Oxfordshire. She was first sent to boarding school when she was 11 years old. She remembers crying a lot on her first night away from home.

In 2007, her old school invited her to talk about her career. Susannah decided not to go back.

Starting Her Career

After school, Susannah trained in the Montessori teaching method for a year. She also studied sculpture in Brussels. She taught children for three years. She also worked as a shop assistant at Harrods.

Susannah worked in America for the designer Giorgio Armani. Then she came back to London. She worked for other designers like Richard James and John Galliano. This helped her learn a lot about fashion.

In 1994, she met Trinny Woodall at a party. They started writing a weekly fashion guide for The Daily Telegraph. It was called Ready to Wear. They showed how affordable high-street clothes could suit different body shapes. Susannah and Trinny also tried to start an online fashion business called Ready2shop.com. However, this business did not succeed.

Susannah first appeared on TV with Trinny on a shopping show called Ready to Wear. They also released their first fashion book, Ready 2 Dress, in 2000. This book was not successful. Soon after, they got a regular makeover spot on the show Richard & Judy. This helped them get noticed by the BBC.

Television Career

What Not to Wear (2001–2003)

Susannah Constantine began co-hosting What Not to Wear with Trinny Woodall in 2001. On the show, they gave advice on people's appearance and fashion style. Susannah and Trinny hosted the show until 2005. They became known for their direct advice.

Some people thought they were too bossy with the people on the show. But Susannah said they truly cared about helping women. She believes that "anyone can achieve style." She also finds it easy to dress other women, but harder to dress herself. Susannah and Trinny believe that dressing to suit your body shape is very important. They said, "We’re like clothing doctors."

In 2002, Susannah and Trinny won an award for being the best factual presenters. This was the Royal Television Society Award. They even advised Jeremy Clarkson on a celebrity version of What Not to Wear. The show was nominated for awards in 2002 and 2003.

For charity, in 2002, Susannah and Trinny performed their own version of Madonna's song "Vogue". This was for the BBC's Children in Need program. In 2003, they appeared in TV ads for Nescafé coffee.

More TV Success (2004–2005)

Because it was so popular, What Not to Wear moved from BBC Two to BBC One in 2004. The show became longer, with two makeovers instead of one. Susannah also spent a day as one of the people getting a makeover. What Not to Wear was also shown in other countries.

Susannah appeared on Children in Need again in 2004. She gave makeovers to characters from the TV show EastEnders. In 2005, Susannah voiced a robot version of herself in the science fiction series, Doctor Who.

Susannah and Trinny appeared twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show. They gave makeover and style advice. Susannah noted that American women were more open to change than British women.

Later TV Shows (2006–Present)

In 2006, Susannah and Trinny moved to ITV. They started a new show called Trinny & Susannah Undress.... This show helped couples with problems in their relationships. Susannah said filming the show was very emotional.

A new series on ITV changed its format. In one episode, Susannah was made to look like a 70-year-old woman using special makeup. She said it took her days to get over seeing herself look so old. This program was called Trinny & Susannah Undress The Nation. By 2007, Susannah and Trinny had dressed over 5,000 women.

In 2015, Susannah took part in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She was the first person to leave the show that season.

In 2018, Susannah was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. Her dance partner was Anton du Beke. They were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition. They received very low scores for their dances.

Beyond Television

Online and Tours

In 2010, Susannah and Trinny starred in an online series. It was called "Trinny and Susannah: What They Did Next".

Susannah and Trinny also toured New Zealand and Australia. They gave live styling sessions at shopping malls. Thousands of people often came to watch them.

Littlewoods

Susannah and Trinny became the faces of the shopping company, Littlewoods Direct. They created a fashion advice section for the Littlewoods catalogue. They also made a booklet called The Golden Rules. This booklet gave fashion advice for different body shapes.

They appeared in TV advertisements for Littlewoods. These ads helped Littlewoods' sales go up. In 2007, Susannah and Trinny launched their own clothing line for Littlewoods. It included trousers, coats, and tops.

Books

Susannah Constantine has co-written several style advice books with Trinny Woodall. These books have sold over 2.5 million copies around the world. Their fashion books have been best-sellers in both the UK and the US. They have also been translated into many languages.

Their book What Not to Wear sold 670,000 copies. It sold 300,000 copies in just 15 weeks. The book also won a British Book Award in 2003. Susannah and Trinny later got a big book deal to write more fashion books.

Their latest book, The Body Shape Bible, was published in 2007. In this book, women can find out their body shape. Then they get fashion advice for their specific shape. The book also shows some of Susannah and Trinny's own fashion mistakes.

In 2017, Susannah published her first novel, After the Snow.

Podcast

In 2020, Susannah launched her own podcast called My Wardrobe Malfunction. On the podcast, guests talk about their relationship with clothes. They share their 'comfort blanket', 'burial suit', and 'wardrobe malfunction'. Many famous guests have appeared on the show.

Personal Life

When she was young, Susannah often asked her father for fashion advice. She says she learned her style from him. Her father was a talented artist.

Susannah was in a relationship with Princess Margaret's son, David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley. Their relationship lasted for eight years. Susannah later married Sten Bertelsen, a Danish businessman. They have three children named Joe, Esme, and CeCe. Susannah and her family bought a 120-acre property in Sussex.

Susannah has talked about the pressure to always look good in public. But she says, "We're as much in the business of dressing ourselves – but more importantly helping other women to do that."

In 2003, Susannah and Trinny had a disagreement with TV presenter Carol Vorderman.

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