NUDE FOR ART CLASS
Communications guru apologises over ‘gays, blacks & Catholics’ post
the show in a stylish bright red bob, wants to use her appearance to raise awareness of breast cancer. Sarah, who is mum to Charlie, 19, said: “I’m always someone who did all the right things they were supposed to do as far as checking your breasts was concerned but still I had no idea I had breast cancer until I went for a scan.” Sarah, of Edinburgh, was told two early stage tumours had been discovered in her left breast. Speaking about the mastectomy, she said: “My son was in Australia at the time, so I didn’t tell him until he came back – I didn’t want to worry him. “Initially I didn’t tell anyone – just my partner who was so supportive and a couple of really close friends. I didn’t want anyone to know until I had something good to tell them. I didn’t want the sympathy.” Sarah has since thrown her heart into her art and was delighted to receive a place on the first series of the show, which was filmed in Manchester last October. The mum, who runs a holiday apartment and volunteers at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, said: “Art is my absolute passion. I draw or paint every day and I’m part of the Edinburgh Printmakers workshop. “I applied four times to get into the Edinburgh College of Art but each time I was knocked back. The shame. Instead, I studied graphic design at Edinburgh College and did a contemporary art course. Being on the show was such a fabulous experience. Jenny Eclair was lovely, and very funny. When I discovered I had to be a life model too I didn’t bat an eyelid.
“A long time ago I used to do stand-up comedy in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and even had my own comedy club off the Royal Mile – I worked with comedians including Jojo Sutherland.
“I told myself if I was happy to stand up in a room full of people and try to make them laugh, then this was not going to be an issue.”
Sarah takes on the role as life model on Thursday’s show, when she appears elegantly positioned on a blue velvet chaise lounge, with a red silk sheet draped across her.
Sean Connery, who died last year, was known as Scotland’s most famous former life model, posing for students before he found fame in film.
While Sarah is delighted to follow in his footsteps she doesn’t believe she is going to steal his life-modelling crown.
She said: “I saw Sean Connery standing outside the Caledonian Hotel with his wife when my son was probably only two years old.
“I remember saying to Charlie ‘That’s James Bond’, and he gave us the biggest wave and smile.”
Eclair, a keen artist herself, has previously posed as a life model.
She says all nudity on the show has been tastefully designed to meet daytime TV regulations.
She said: “Let’s just say there is a lot of very tasteful draping.” ●Drawers Off is on Channel 4 from today until Friday at 5.30pm.
When I was diagnosed, I refused to let surgery knock my confidence SARAH WILSON ON DOUBLE MASTECTOMY OP
A TOP PR guru has said sorry for saying his firm did not recruit “blacks, gays or Catholics”.
Monaco-based Gordon Beattie insisted he did not mean any offence and was only trying to underline his firm’s industry-leading diversity credentials.
But the Beattie Media chairman was forced to take down his post on social media platform Linkedin and apologised to those who had been upset. The row began last Friday, when Beattie wrote online: “At Beattie Communications, we don’t hire blacks, gays or Catholics.
“We sign talented people and we don’t care about the colour of their skin, sexual orientation or religion. That’s the way it should be with every company – only hire people for their talent, experience, knowledge and wisdom.”
Yesterday, Beattie posted: “On Friday, I issued a post on LinkedIn to highlight the fact that when we recruit, Beattie Communications does not discriminate. It was posted with the best of intent but I have now removed it because the language I used has caused offence and for that, I am deeply sorry.”
But fellow businessman David Mains said: “You chose those words to get attention. You got that – and the condemnation those words deserved, followed.”
Fellow communications expert Stef Lach said: “Quite stunning that a communications professional could be so wide of the mark with an attempt at communicating.”
Last night, Beattie was not available for comment.