Lot of pluses for Tia in Toronto

Model promotes diversity at fashion show

GORGEOUS Tia Duffy stormed the catwalk at the recent Toronto Fashion Week as the plus-size model continues to expand her hugely successful Be Body Aware campaign.

Tia has been the face and voice for the campaign – which she started – as she promotes inclusion and diversity in the modelling world. And last week she proudly sashayed down the catwalk in Toronto as she walked for designer Lesley Hampton.

Speaking to The Diary, an overwhelmed Tia, right, said: ‘A video of me walking along the Toronto Pier was played to the audience

as an opening to the show. The experience was overwhelming. I was backstage getting hair and make-up and as I was lining up to walk the runway, my intro video came on and it was me on a 100foot screen playing to an audience with Elle magazine in the front row and Vogue Italia journalists, and the most prestigious of the fashion industry.

‘I could see the video playing on a small screen backstage and my model friends were all clapping and congratulating me. It was very hard to hold back my tears, I’d never been this overwhelmed before. It was really a moment

for me to see Be Body Aware flash across that screen. How does a girl from Ireland who was too “fat” at the time for Miss Ireland a decade ago come to this? It’s baffling. It’s been such a journey.’

Tia and her Be Body Aware campaign featured in style bible Vogue Magazine earlier this year.

ROSANNA Davison was sporting a deep suntan when she pitched up at the launch of Beautique Beauty on Tuesday evening, right, as she has been a bit of a jetsetter recently. In the past few weeks alone, she has been to Mauritius, France and the UK as she expands her brand. The former Miss World has unveiled her first wellness menus with the Constance Hotel Group – they are designed to promote healthy eating even on holidays. Rosanna, who is 33, also said that she had ‘no time’ for babies ‘just yet’ as she is food focused… for now.

THE cast of the hugely popular reality series The Only Way is Essex were in Dublin this week. But there was no fear of them bumping into Victoria Beckham as they were downing pints in The Stag’s Head while Victoria was safely ensconced in Brown Thomas. The cast were filming a special in the capital but it seems it was a lot of work for the cast. Sources in The Stag’s Head said they were astounded at the amount of takes ‘required for a reality show’. ‘There were a fair few retakes of some scenes,’ said an insider. ‘It was funny. For a reality show they were doing a lot of cutting and reshooting scenes.’