The second half of the book I found less absorbing, mainly because the timeline was chopped up so much, and interspersed with anecdotes that whilst funny or salacious didn’t really add to the picture of the woman for me. Whilst honest about her problems with alcohol they aren’t put in context. It was more a series of recollections. Susannah Constantine has dealt with a number of demons in her life and makes no attempt to hide her shortcomings here. She was in her late 20s before she discovered the world of work and found that she had more than a modicum of intelligence and capability. Until then, her father and his accounts with Harrod's etc. provided her with all the income she needed and a 6-year relationship with Princess Margaret's son, Viscount Linley, took her into the hedonistic spheres of the leading aristocracy.

It is a really entertaining read, but this was a book of two halves for me. The first half was a brilliant, brutally honest and fast paced read, covering her childhood through to her relationship with David Armstrong-Jones. I was totally fascinated by her world and what is was like to grow up in upper class Britain in the 60s/70s, being educated to be a society wife. I felt totally transported. Reflecting on her life, Susannah recognises that moving to Sussex 16 years ago has seen her life go full circle. Susannah also harbors no envy for the outfits of royal ladies like Princess Diana, admitting that while the late aristocrat was undeniably “a style icon”, she never influenced her own wardrobe. Sensational, juicy, honest, terrific - it reminded me of reading Lady Anne Glenconner' GRAHAM NORTON, Virgin Radio It’s amazing to think she built a whole career around advising women how they might look more stylish ( What Not to Wear began on the BBC in 2001). In her royal days, after all, she sported a look that was “somewhere between Victoria Wood and Fergie” (polka dots, plentiful ruching). But I don’t know, for all that it must have been lucrative, that it made her happy, even if it was only after it ended that her boozing began in earnest (she once appeared drunk on QVC). Somehow, though, she got through this bad patch. A turn as Anton Du Beke’s worst ever partner on Strictly Come Dancingwould, indeed, one day be hers (in 2018), and it surely says something about her charmed life that, in the small hours, it’s Ann Widdecombe of whom she thinks enviously, the former politician having somehow made it to week 10 of that redoubtable, long-running talent show.The title says it all really. Girls in the upper echelons of British society were not particularly well educated since their sole aim in life would be to find a wealthy husband and bow to his every whim while looking stylish and immaculate at all times. We are not talking Victorian times here. This book relates to the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Princess Diana was a prime example of this. The first step in recognising that you have a problem is when you instinctively know that you have no control of drinking and once you start, you can’t stop. It might only be a bottle of wine, but if you wake up in the morning and feel fear, self-loathing, anxiety and self-hatred, those are red flags. I love the big skies and landscapes, as well as the people and way of life. I’m a Lincolnshire girl at heart and get very nostalgic each time I return.” he first met her soon-to-be TV partner Trinny Woodall in 1994, at a party hosted by Viscount Linley.

For her part, Susannah says that rather than being cathartic, writing this book has been a learning experience and also given her a new sense of freedom. I have so much respect for Emma and her family, who have such a sense of responsibility and are doing an incredible job as custodians.” From lavatory dramas with Princess Margaret, eye-opening sex-club etiquette with pop royalty to behind-the-scenes power struggles between Thatcher and the Queen! Her social landscape has been nothing, if not varied. Susannah is very blunt and had some really out there stories to tell that might make one cringe. I won't spill the beans here, but they involve gastrointestinal functions, a public bathroom, and in one case- Princess Margaret. This was a fun, casual, easy read. stars. An absorbing memoir of a really fascinating life, yes one of great privilege, (which gives great anecdotes), but also one with many challenges. Susannah comes across as a resilient, funny and reflective woman who isn’t afraid to lay out her faults and also laugh at herself.When I was there as a child, the atmosphere was very much one of a grand stately home where you were seen and not heard, but the private wing is a proper home now. Having been approached to write her memoir by a number of publishers, Susannah says that initially she wasn’t interested. READY FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is for fans of The Crown, royal followers, readers of LADY IN WAITING, What Not To Wear fans and anyone who likes a gossipy memoir with bold faced names and a drop dead sense of humor.

If you're hoping for all the goss on What Not To Wear, you'll be disappointed. Neither the programme nor Susannah's close friend Trinny are given much space in this book. Instead, it is a fascinating, detailed insight into the everyday lives of the wealthy and aristocratic. Wonderfully written, very funny, but more than anything completely genuine Lady Anne Glenconner, author of Lady in Waiting However, I’m not someone who can just sit on my laurels and think I’ve had a wonderful life, which is true. I’m always looking ahead, forever curious and asking myself, what’s next? Just like preparing to run a marathon, you need to get brain fit and then writing becomes much easier. I need to be in the right frame of mind, but that will only come if you start writing. If you keep waiting, it’s not going to happen!”But appearances are deceptive and beneath it all, life had a dark side particularly her mother's mental illness and, her father's struggles with alcoholism. Somehow she had to forge her own life, away from the expectations of others. Hers is a life filled to the brim with 70s glitz, 80s glamour and above all else an enlightening 50 years of f**k-ups, crisis and chaos. Susannah Constantine is famous as the noughties style guru on What Not To Wear, but this is the least interesting thing about her. More than anywhere else, it’s where my heart is and where I feel happiest. When I die, I’d probably like to buried there! Constantine and I were both youths in the 80s but our lives couldn’t have been more different. After an expensive education, she frequented society nightclubs and socialised with Princess Margaret, Elton John and ( raising my forearms in a cross in front of me) Margaret Thatcher. It was an interesting look at ‘how the other half lives.’

If my family want to read it they can. My husband knows all about the content and has been incredibly supportive. One day my children will read it and when they do, I hope it’s a lovely thing for them to remember and understand their mum by.” Rather than being chronological, it seemed to jump all over the place and the strangest thing is that a big chunk of her life – when she made her name in What Not To Wear – seems to be missing. She goes from her early career as a fashion designer’s gofer/ house model, straight to her ‘celebrity’ appearances on Strictly etc. This is particularly weird when you consider that her book is titled ‘Ready for Absolutely Nothing’ because her education and upbringing were merely preparation for her becoming a society wife. Her book shares a collection of candid tales from many memorable experiences; from Margaret Thatcher and the Queen having a tussle over a teapot at Balmoral and holidays on Mustique with Princess Margaret (while dating her son David Linley), to how she met and became best friends with Elton John – all told with sharp wit and eye-opening frankness. This is not really an autobiography, definitely memoirs, with a surprising amount of her anecdotes featuring poo. Susannah, who married Danish businessman Sten Bertelsen in 1995, has three grown-up children, Joe, Esme and CeCe. The children have not yet read their mother’s memoir, although many of Susannah’s connections mentioned in the book have dived in and “loved it”.

When asked if she believes she would have been able to handle the pressure of marrying the Queen’s nephew, Susannah’s of two minds. Just nine months later, Susannah delivered the book on time and complete with a collection of photos which reflect a life lived to the full. As well as writing two novels, Susannah went on to appear on popular TV programmes, such as I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing. When I set out to write this book, I thought I knew what it would be, but the process of writing it has revealed so much more. I’ve had the freedom to recall anecdotes from my life: some funny, some painful, but all of them show that despite everything, I was brought up to be ready for absolutely nothing!”