Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine were long-time collaborators, having been the stars of the BBC show What Not To Wear in the early 2000s, as well as their 2006 reality show Trinny and Susannah Undress the Nation. However, their screen dynamic had to come to an end after the programmes finished, with the pair having to forge their own identities away from the brand they had created together. Susannah once described their split as a “divorce”, which was “very difficult” for her. Despite their television split, the pair have always remained friends who have been through a multitude of highs and lows together. Here, we examine the duo’s dramatic career transformations over the decades…
What Not To Wear
The pair burst onto BBC screens in 2001 with their fashion reality series, What Not to Wear, which became a cultural phenomenon as the two women transformed people’s wardrobes with “trendy” items. The show quickly made Trinny and Susannah household names. However, the series has received criticism over the decades for the presenters’ harsh approach to makeovers, as they didn’t hold back with their opinions.
“It was of its time and came along at the right moment, but it wouldn’t work today, and I can understand why,” Susannah told Radio Times in recent years. “People are fed up with being told what to do.”
(Image: BBC)
Huge BBC success
Their hugely popular series moved to BBC One in 2004, and the duo still mercilessly dissected their subjects’ wardrobes in order to “improve” their image. By this point, Trinny and Susannah were better known for their boob-grabbing antics and savage critiques than their style, as they proudly said they could guess women’s cup sizes from one hold.
Lyla Elichaoff, Trinny’s 22-year-old daughter, admitted to Tatler in recent years: “I think they would be cancelled if the show were made now.
“You can’t really speak to people like that any more, and say things like: ‘You’re so ugly.’” The show was cancelled in 2007
(Image: BBC)
After What Not To Wear
Trinny and Susannah, who started their careers with a fashion column in the Daily Telegraph, supported each other through IVF, addiction and heartbreaking miscarriages over the decades.
When What Not to Wear ended, they released various books and appeared on shows such as This Morning, Richard and Judy, Good Morning America, and Would I Lie to You? However, they went on to pursue very different ventures when their television career came to an end.
(Image: Getty)
