She crossed her arms over the also saggy and also beige polo neck she'd decided to wear for her first appointment with the Wonder Women and replied matter-of-factly, 'That's my underwear.' She didn't seem unduly embarrassed about the state of her smalls.
'Cath, you have been alone for too long and if you vear undervear like this, you stay single for ever. Bin bag!' Svetlana commanded and flicked the offending items straight into the rubbish. After a brief inspection, the rest of the contents of the drawer followed.
'Wait!' Cath protested, an astonished look on her face, 'those are all very comfortable . . . I only bought the bras a few months ago!' She jumped forward, got hold of the bin bag and for a moment there was a mini tussle between the two women. Bob gripped his camera tightly, knowing that if he missed one second of this he would be in trouble.
'No,' Svetlana insisted, pulling the bin bag back. 'Hideous, ugly underwear! You are a good-looking voman under all this comfortable beige. Ve buy you all new!'
Which was all very well for Svetlana to promise, Annie couldn't help thinking; she wasn't the one who was going to have to make a budget of £250 stretch to buy an entirely new wardrobe.
Annie's eyes travelled to Cath's face. The ever so slightly stern features were deeply troubled. In fact, the troubled look had barely left Cath's face since the entire Wonder Women TV crew descended on her flat at 8.45 this morning. In truly insincere TV fashion, everyone had kissed and hugged and gushed over Cath, and had then proceeded to tear her life apart.
Miss Marlise had already done her piece to camera from both inside and outside Cath's home. Cath had listened to the commentary with her cheeks burning and then with her mouth open in horror. Miss Marlise had not thought for one moment to spare the feelings of this rather plain looking, middle-aged accountant.
'Cath lives here in this boring, beige flat all on her own,' Marlise had begun. 'Now that her son has left home, she's busy, busy, busy with her job and her gardening club and her friends, but to be honest, she's got a bit boring and a bit beige herself.
'Cath got divorced five years ago and since then, there hasn't been any fun in her life . . .'
'There wasn't a lot of fun before, believe me,' Cath had said under her breath, and Annie had caught the comment.
Miss Marlise had rattled on, 'No new dresses and no new men. Cath's social life consists of gardening club meetings and going out with her married friends once a fortnight. You aren't going to meet a new Mr Right like that, are you, Cath?'
Then leaning chummily into the camera, Miss Marlise had made wide, enthusiastic eyes and gushed: 'But oh, so luckily for you, the Wonder Women are here to sort you out!'
'Woohoo!' had been Finn's inevitable response to Marlise's intro. But Annie had seen Cath wipe at the corner of her eye and had instinctively put an arm round her.
'I'm sure they'll cut that right down,' she had told her quietly, as they walked into the flat together. 'What made you decide to be on the show, Cath?'
'My friends all got together and decided to enter me. I didn't know anything about it until I got a phone call.'
'But you must have quite liked the idea of a makeover?' Annie had asked.
'Erm, yes . . . a new hairstyle, a new outfit. Yes,' Cath had admitted hesitantly, 'but I didn't know it was going to involve delving into my underwear drawer and a blind date.'
'Not a date! Just a party where you'll be introduced to lots of people and we'll be right beside you holding your hand. Honestly,' Annie had tried to assure her, 'some really good things are going to come out of this, I promise.' Annie was still convinced that this was true.
But now, in the bedroom, watching Svetlana at work, Annie wasn't quite so sure.
'OK, I get out my list.' Svetlana reached onto the bed for her luxurious leather and python handbag. The bag, like
'Cath, you have been alone for too long and if you vear undervear like this, you stay single for ever. Bin bag!' Svetlana commanded and flicked the offending items straight into the rubbish. After a brief inspection, the rest of the contents of the drawer followed.
'Wait!' Cath protested, an astonished look on her face, 'those are all very comfortable . . . I only bought the bras a few months ago!' She jumped forward, got hold of the bin bag and for a moment there was a mini tussle between the two women. Bob gripped his camera tightly, knowing that if he missed one second of this he would be in trouble.
'No,' Svetlana insisted, pulling the bin bag back. 'Hideous, ugly underwear! You are a good-looking voman under all this comfortable beige. Ve buy you all new!'
Which was all very well for Svetlana to promise, Annie couldn't help thinking; she wasn't the one who was going to have to make a budget of £250 stretch to buy an entirely new wardrobe.
Annie's eyes travelled to Cath's face. The ever so slightly stern features were deeply troubled. In fact, the troubled look had barely left Cath's face since the entire Wonder Women TV crew descended on her flat at 8.45 this morning. In truly insincere TV fashion, everyone had kissed and hugged and gushed over Cath, and had then proceeded to tear her life apart.
Miss Marlise had already done her piece to camera from both inside and outside Cath's home. Cath had listened to the commentary with her cheeks burning and then with her mouth open in horror. Miss Marlise had not thought for one moment to spare the feelings of this rather plain looking, middle-aged accountant.
'Cath lives here in this boring, beige flat all on her own,' Marlise had begun. 'Now that her son has left home, she's busy, busy, busy with her job and her gardening club and her friends, but to be honest, she's got a bit boring and a bit beige herself.
'Cath got divorced five years ago and since then, there hasn't been any fun in her life . . .'
'There wasn't a lot of fun before, believe me,' Cath had said under her breath, and Annie had caught the comment.
Miss Marlise had rattled on, 'No new dresses and no new men. Cath's social life consists of gardening club meetings and going out with her married friends once a fortnight. You aren't going to meet a new Mr Right like that, are you, Cath?'
Then leaning chummily into the camera, Miss Marlise had made wide, enthusiastic eyes and gushed: 'But oh, so luckily for you, the Wonder Women are here to sort you out!'
'Woohoo!' had been Finn's inevitable response to Marlise's intro. But Annie had seen Cath wipe at the corner of her eye and had instinctively put an arm round her.
'I'm sure they'll cut that right down,' she had told her quietly, as they walked into the flat together. 'What made you decide to be on the show, Cath?'
'My friends all got together and decided to enter me. I didn't know anything about it until I got a phone call.'
'But you must have quite liked the idea of a makeover?' Annie had asked.
'Erm, yes . . . a new hairstyle, a new outfit. Yes,' Cath had admitted hesitantly, 'but I didn't know it was going to involve delving into my underwear drawer and a blind date.'
'Not a date! Just a party where you'll be introduced to lots of people and we'll be right beside you holding your hand. Honestly,' Annie had tried to assure her, 'some really good things are going to come out of this, I promise.' Annie was still convinced that this was true.
But now, in the bedroom, watching Svetlana at work, Annie wasn't quite so sure.
'OK, I get out my list.' Svetlana reached onto the bed for her luxurious leather and python handbag. The bag, like
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