Snog, marry or avoid? Thurso’s Charlene wants to know...
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SNOG, marry or avoid? That’s the question TV presenter Jenny Frost could be asking men on high streets around the country about Thurso’s own glamour girl Charlene McPhee.
Charlene was “made up” earlier this week after a film crew produced a teaser for BBC Three’s reality flagship programme, Snog Marry Avoid?
In the programme “beauty addicts” are given a lighter touch by POD – the Personal Overhaul Device – a piece of TV computer wizardry that imparts beauty and fashion advice, along with a fair amount of opinion on its chosen person, before giving them a new natural look.
The 19-year-old was filming on the streets of Thurso on Monday in the hope of getting her two-minute trailer approved by producers for a full episode.
“It was really good,” she told the John O’Groat Journal. “They made me put on fake tan, make-up and different shoes then walk about the street.”
Charlene’s mum, Kathy, put her forward for the programme last year after getting fed up of her daughter’s use of fake tan.
Two weeks ago Charlene was contacted by the crew behind the programme and was asked to submit photos and an application form and by Monday the cameras were rolling for the one-day shoot.
The teen is rarely out of the house before midday but gets up at 7.30am – four-and-a-half hours earlier – to start getting ready for her day ahead. Her daily routine includes fake tan, fake eyelashes, hair extensions, make-up and choosing the right outfit and accessories.
“I just like the way it is,” she said. “Everywhere I go I get looks, and they’re not nice looks. But I don’t care what anyone says.”
One voice in her life that isn’t passing judgement – at least not one she understands – is Charlene’s four-month-old Lhasa Apso, Roxy.
The puppy was never far from Charlene on the shoot and that meant a few costume changes for the pet too.
“I’ve got loads of stuff for her,” said Charlene. “Dresses, T-shirts, jackets and bows in her hair – that sort of thing.”
It’s not just Roxy that gets a lot of money spent on her. In order to maintain her unique look, Charlene takes to the internet to shop for clothes but buys make-up and fake tan locally.
She spends around £120 on fashion and beauty over the course of an average month.
“I buy three bottles of fake tan a week,” she explained. “It would last a normal person about three weeks but for me it lasts two days. I tan when I’m bored – probably about four times a day.”
If chosen to appear in the next series, Charlene could be in for a shock as POD may suggest a radical change of routine.
However, she said she would be interested to see how she looks without the make-up and accessories.
“It’s like a chore,” she said. “Every morning I’ve got to get up and do my tan, then my make-up and hair.
“I’d be interested to see what I look like without it all.”
She expects an “avoid” reaction if she makes the final cut but enjoys the attention the camera gives her, much like some of the stars she looks up to.
Charlene idolises glamour model Katie Price – also known as Jordan – and American reality TV star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, of Jersey Shore fame.
“Snooki is a wanna-be me,” said Charlene. “Everybody says that I look like her.”
Charlene will find out if she was successful in the next few weeks.
