GOK WAN TALKS TO OK!
TV STYLIST GOK WAN ON HIS NEW SHOW, ROYAL WEDDINGS AND SELF-CONFIDENCE…
Struggling with body image issues is something stylist Gok Wan knows all about, having shed 11 stone in just eight months during his youth. It’s one of the reasons he’s so successful helping women feel good about themselves, no matter what their shape or size.
In the new series of his show Say Yes To The Dress Lancashire it’s ‘anxious’ brides who get the pep talks as they shop for their perfect gown.
Here, Gok tells OK! what he thinks Princess Beatrice will wear on her special day, feeling broody and his own wedding plans…
How did you celebrate your 45th birthday last month?
I normally do a massive party but I was so busy I had the quietest night – just 50 people for drinks in Soho. In previous years I’ve had a huge rave and a circus-themed party, so I’m gutted. I’m so boring. I hate myself [laughs]!
You married yourself for your 40th. Will you do that for your 50th?
Yes, if I’m not married by then it’ll be a full on wedding to myself. I used to be really low key but as I’ve got older I’ve become really chintzy. I always knew there was a diamanté swan inside me dying to get out.
Would you ever do Strictly Come Dancing?
They ask me every single year but I’ll never do it. I’d look ridiculous. I love dancing but I get really bad stage fright. When my friend Brian Conley did Strictly he was a bag of nerves, shaking and sweating, so how would they expect a six foot one, partly-chinese stylist to do it?! I’d be dreadful.
Should they have same sex couples on the show?
One hundred per cent! The only way I could do Strictly is with another man – that’s just part of my world and who I am.
How would you sum up Say Yes To The Dress Lancashire?
It feels more fashiony than the first series and we find out the brides’ back stories so it goes a bit deeper. There’s a bridal meltdown every day.
What style of dress do you think Princess Beatrice will wear for her wedding next year?
She likes left of centre designers like Mcqueen and Westwood so she’ll go for something alternative, edgy and contemporary in a fabric we wouldn’t expect. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was similar to the wedding dress Sarah Jessica Parker wore in Sex And The City!
How To Look Good Naked is back, too…
It’s been very emotional because it conjures up a lot of stuff from my own history. When I’m talking to a woman about her body insecurities I can empathise with how she feels to the point where I feel like I’m living her nightmare. It affects me.
How do you boost your confidence?
Sometimes it’s tricky. I have good days and bad days but I get a lot of confidence from work and from my relationships with my friends and family.
You’re godfather to Fearne Cotton’s daughter Honey. Does that make you feel broody?
It does. I love kids and for a long time I thought I’d have children. When I turned 40 I decided I wouldn’t have children and two years later I changed my mind. At 45, I don’t think it will happen now but I think I’m alright with that. I don’t feel I’ll miss out on anything.