Top Of The Pops presenter and former model Lisa Snowdon, who hit the headlines when she dated Hollywood hunk George Clooney for a spell, has been branching out in her professional and personal lives.
Here she talks about stepping out as the new ‘legs of Gillette’ and about her busy lifestyle, including how things are going with boyfriend Gary Dourdan, of Crime Scene Investigation fame.
What have you been up to recently, Lisa?
“I’m incredibly busy at the moment – I’m working loads with the BBC, Top Of The Pops, of course, and I’ve a new BBC show in the pipeline, but that’s all I can say about that at the moment! Also some radio, Channel 4, I’m doing some work with T4 – it’s great because I’m working across a broad spectrum of channels.”
“I’m also the new ‘legs of Gillette’, for their pink Venus razor campaign. Gillette have been sending me products since the launch of the blue Venus a couple of years ago. I sent a card back saying that I was a fan - I use it all the time and it’s always a good thing when you are promoting something you genuinely use and believe in.”
Did you get paranoid about your legs?
“Absolutely! I always have them shaved, exfoliated and moisturised anyway – I think it’s a habit I got into modelling – but I was really conscious about bruising and about making sure I had a pedicure. As I was in Italy a couple of weeks before the shoot, I managed to top up my tan a little bit and the make-up artist also had this great body lotion with gold shimmer in it which really makes your skin look glowy.”
What were you doing in Italy?
“We were having a little break whilst Gary was in Milan collecting an award for CSI – the Telegata awards are like the Italian Oscars - then we went to Venice for a short holiday.”
How much time do you spend in LA now? Is that where you met Gary Dourdan?
“I’m still very much based in the UK. I’ve a great house here in the country and England is definitely my home. I do spend quite a lot of time in LA, but often I’ll spend just a couple of weeks there and then come home. “Yeah, I met Gary in LA. We were introduced by one of my best friends – which is always a good sign – she thought we’d get on, and ten months later we’re still together. He’s great, he’s from the East Coast so he’s very cool.”
How is your LA lifestyle different from London?
“London is definitely more hectic! I’m running around doing meetings and voiceovers and Top Of The Pops and all sorts of appointments. It’s really busy, but I love it. I have more ‘down-time’ in LA, the weather is great so I’ll go out on my bike and just get out in the fresh air. It’s much more relaxing for me in LA, I live in Venice, by the beach, so it’s not the frantic pace of Hollywood – it’s really cool.
“We do go to some premieres, parties and award shows – we were at the Emmys and the People’s Choice Awards recently – but I love just going out for dinner, keeping it fairly low-key. My favourite restaurants in LA are Katana’s (great sushi and Japanese fusion food) and Little Door, which is a fab French restaurant on Melrose.”
So how do you look after yourself in the LA sun?
“I used to really sunbathe – I love the feeling of lying in the warm sunshine, nothing beats it. But it isn’t great for your skin, so I always use a high SPF (15 for my body and 25 for my face) and then I don’t worry so much, I can be out all day. Aftercare is really important, too, although I’m very good at hydrating my skin after I’ve been in the sun and topping up with a little fake tan. My favourite fake tan product is Decleor Auto Bronzer Spray – it looks really light and natural and you can build up the colour slowly.”
Who in Hollywood do you most admire style-wise?
“Halle Berry, definitely. She’s gorgeous and just a really cool person, she looks amazing on the red carpet in a high glamour gown and when she’s dressed down. I used to be a huge Friends fan and love Jennifer Aniston’s look – I really admire the way she always looks elegant and cool; she’ll wear a low-key dress or a simple vest top rather than a big showy outfit. I’ve met her a couple of times and she’s really a lovely person, beautiful but understated. Cameron Diaz is another girl with great style, she manages to mix and match quite eclectic pieces but always looks effortlessly cool.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
