Kentish Express Ashford & District
Patient fans wait hours to see their TV favourite
Fans of TV presenter Samantha Faiers queued for up to five hours to meet her on Saturday.
The star of The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) was greeted by a crowd of more than 100 at the Ashford Designer Outlet.
They clapped, cheered and took photos on their mobile phones when she arrived at The Fragrance Shop.
Samantha was 45 minutes late, having got caught in traffic at the Dartford crossing.
But that did not deter the crowd, which steadily grew as the time got nearer for her appearance. Some had brought their own chairs while others sat on the ground.
Samantha was at the shop to promote her new perfume, La Bella. She signed autographs and boxes of the scent and chatted to fans.
She said: “Promoting the perfume has been really good fun.
“I enjoy meeting the public. It gives me the chance to get some feedback on the perfume, which has all been good so far.”
She said she had been involved in the production of La Bella for the last 18 months.
“I had a say in the scent, the bottle and the design,” she said. “I was there for everything. I had an idea of what I wanted it to be like, and it is just what I wanted.”
Samantha, who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, has just had a
holiday in Ibiza with her on-off partner and fellow TOWIE member Joey Essex and friends.
She has also been in Dublin promoting her range of lingerie for the Ann Summers chain.
Of her future plans, she said: “I have a big fashion project coming up in September but can’t say too much about it. “That will keep me busy until the end of the year.” Wearing a cream sleeveless dress and bright orange shoes, it was her only Fragrance Shop appearance in the south of the UK.
She has done five others and this was her final one until a box set of La Bella is released at Christmas. Daniel Thompson, from The Fragrance Shop, said La Bella was the firm’s best seller. The perfume sells for £24.50 for a 100ml bottle. Also at the shop on Saturday were representatives from Rays of Sunshine, which helps children with serious or life-limiting illnesses and is The Fra
grance Shop’s charity for the year.
Listeners of our radio station kmfm have the chance to win a bottle of La Bella. Go to www. kmfm.co.uk for details.