After I Was Gorgeous

Deborah Bull - former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet - probes society's obsession with beauty, and what happens to the 'beautiful' when the interest begins to fade away.

With interviews featuring sixties icon Jean Shrimpton, former Bond girl Tania Mallet, and 'Face of the Eighties' Lysette Anthony, Deborah explores how beauty icons deal with the ageing process. Tania Mallet describes the day when she noticed that she had 'not young skin anymore.

Annabel Giles explains why having a brow-lift restored her self-confidence. Jilly Johnson recounts the snobbery she faced when starting out in acting. And Lysette Anthony admits to finally enjoying her beauty now that she's 'about to lose it all'. Deborah also explores the pressures that icons face, and speaks to a current model about one day losing her looks. After I Was Gorgeous is a programme about being beautiful and what happens next.

Producer: Parvin Kumar Ramchurn

An Alfi Media production for BBC Radio 4.

Some of the world's most beautiful women discuss the ageing process.