In conversation
As co-host of TV’s What Not To Wear, Susannah Constantine became a household name. But she’s done more in her life than fashion styling. As she publishes her memoir, she talks to Charlotte Oliver about mixing with royalty, facing fears and her new outlook at 60
The first time Susannah Constantine entered a supermarket, she was 23. While she can’t remember what she bought, she remembers how she felt. ‘It was just so exciting,’ says the now 60-year-old, who grew up in a farmhouse on the estate of Belvoir Castle and until then, as a result of her sheltered aristocratic upbringing, thought the cheapest place to buy cheese was Harrods Food Hall. ‘I remember going into Sainsbury’s and thinking, “I’m an adult!” How ridiculous – there was definitely some arrested development.’
It’s this fish-out-of-water anecdote, plus a treasure trove of previously untold stories, that make her upcoming memoir, Ready For Absolutely Nothing, a riveting read. The book charts her tumultuous childhood; her early 20s as the girlfriend of The Queen’s nephew Viscount Linley; and her 30s onwards, when she became one half of the fashion double act Trinny and Susannah. Along the way, she recounts her starry social life, featuring the likes of Sir Elton John, David Bowie, Princess Margaret and Andy Warhol.
Yet despite her remarkable stories, Susannah insists she was ‘always going to be the most unremarkable girl at the back of the room’. I’m dubious, particularly given that, at the GH photo shoot, Susannah commands the room and puts everyone at ease with hugs for all. ‘It’s that thing,’ she continues, ‘of putting yourself down before anyone else has a chance. A lot of people get annoyed at me for it, but that’s where I’m most comfortable. I would never try to be sexy or attractive or beautiful or clever – I’ve never had the courage.’
As a child, Susannah explains, things weren’t always easy. Her father, Joe, an old Etonian who came from a Yorkshire landed-gentry family, often travelled for business, while her mother, Mary Rose, suffered from bipolar disorder, which was undiagnosed for many years. She would try to mask her struggles with alcohol, but her unstable mood – coupled with repeated suicide attempts – meant that Susannah was constantly worrying about her.
‘I never knew which mum I’d wake up to: good mum or bad mum,’ she reflects. ‘I think that’s where my anxiety came from. I was incredibly homesick when I went to boarding school – I wanted my mother around me all the time because I think I subconsciously worried about her wellbeing, even if I was too young to realise that. It was like I was her watcher. My father was in total denial – he’d married a ver
