Walking into the library room of London’s Covent Garden Hotel, we’re hit with a heady dose of star power. Kelly Brook, 43, sits coolly in an armchair wearing a floaty top and a pair of fitted jeans, no doubt from her new summer collection with F&F at Tesco. And before we can find a chair, she proudly introduces us to a rail full of her designs.
Affordable fashion is just the latest rung in Kelly’s ladder of diverse career achievements. She topped FHM’s sexiest women list in 2005, she put on her dancing shoes for Strictly in 2007 and has been a regular on TV shows such as Celebrity Juice and Loose Women.
Now, by her own admission, her interests lie in out-of-the-spotlight activities such as gardening and travelling – hobbies that have flourished since she entered her forties.
Of course, Kelly also reminds us that she still needs to plan her honeymoon, having married the Italian model and actor Jeremy Parisi in a lavish ceremony in Arpino, southern Italy, last July.
Workwise, she is currently juggling hosting her Heart London Drivetime and Saturday Breakfast radio shows with her hobbies and her brand ambassador commitments. Though busy, the star seems happier than ever. This internal confidence is something she says she’s developed with age, along with a relaxed attitude.
Here, we steal a few moments of Kelly’s time to chat about married life, her F&F collection and her confidence tips for feeling great in clothes…
Congrats on the new F&F collection. What can we expect from it?
Thanks. Well, it’s very, very summery and there are lots of great staples in it. White is a big trend this year and I think we’ve nailed a classic white dress. Whether you like long sleeves or short sleeves, we have options for everyone. I love the 90s vibe of the pieces, with the wide-leg jeans and the flowery crop top. The pieces are classic but also trendy, and really comfortable – exactly what you want in summer.
Will you be wearing any key items in rotation this summer?
The floral Bardot dress is probably my favourite. I just got back from a trip to Texas and I felt like a Southern belle in it with my little cowboy hat and boots. I wore it out for dinner to this place called the Commodore Perry Estate. It was beautiful and summery in Texas, so I got to try out the collection. In the UK, because the weather isn’t so great, I’d wear that dress with a denim jacket.
Everything in the range is very friendly on the purse. Is affordable fashion important to you?
Yes. I love my investment pieces, but it’s usually things like handbags and shoes that I invest money in. And then for my day to day, I go for more affordable options since I get bored of things easily. Also, I work at Heart Radio every day, so I always need different outfits. In the times we’re living in, we don’t have a lot of excess cash to be splurging on clothes, so I think it’s good to keep prices achievable for most people, which is what we’ve tried to do while still making the pieces environmentally friendly.
We spoke to Amanda Holden recently and she said the same about her outfits. You wouldn’t think you’d need new outfits for the radio…
Amanda does because she films every day. She and Ashley [Roberts] do a lot of TikToks, so she’s always kind of prancing around. I’m not in at the same time as them – I’ve not ventured into the whole TikTok world. I’ve got so much on my plate, I don’t have the time.
You do have 1.3 million Instagram followers, though. Are most of your comments from fans positive?
I like to share a lot of my life on Instagram and I feel like I’m quite transparent on there. I share my home life, my travels, my husband, my dog, my work and also my various collaborations with brands like F&F. Some people follow me because they like looking at what I’m doing in the garden. Some people follow me because they like the fashion and some people get inspired by my travels. I don’t really get trolled or anything. Not that I can see on there. That’s what I love about Instagram. I feel like it’s quite a safe place for people. Well, safer than it used to be, anyway. Plus, there’s always the mute button!
Your followers often ask for style advice. Do you have any fashion tips for women who want to feel good about themselves in clothes?
Fashion is a weird one because not everything is going to fit everybody’s shape. You should always work with the body you’ve got and never see current trends as the only way to dress. That’s why I think F&F employs someone like me. It’s not because I’m a fashion model, it’s because I’ve got a particular body shape and I look a particular way in the clothes. Someone who has a shape like mine can go, “Oh, OK, well, if Kelly can wear that dress, I can wear that dress.”
Do you think it’s important that fashion brands are inclusive in terms of sizing?
Yeah, I definitely think it’s important to be inclusive. Absolutely. I mean, I’m a curvy girl, so I’m like a size 12-14 and I’ve got boobs and a bum, but I still like to wear jeans and I still like to feel sexy in clothes. I do feel like it’s important to have something for all shapes and sizes, for sure.
Have you got any fashion hacks you can share with us?
Oh, the best hack is when I get off a flight, I’ve got an event to go to or a party, and I’ve got to get into high heels and my feet are swollen. I pick up a hairdryer and start blow-drying my shoes. It softens the leather and my feet just slip in. I feel like Cinderella going to the ball.
We’re banking that one! So you’re our fashion role model, but who’s yours?
Well, I think Jennifer Lopez always looks really good. She’s my style icon. She just looks incredible in everything, doesn’t she? She’s fit and always looks bronzed and healthy.
Is it true that you feel more confident now you are in your forties compared with your twenties?
Yes, and I think you just stop giving a s**t about what people think of you, and you stop people pleasing. You know what you want and you just want to cut out the rubbish. I think confidence is a really good trait to have in your forties. You just don’t want to waste time any more – there’s not enough time to waste.
How has your style changed since turning 40?
I used to just wear heels all the time because I wanted to be taller and I wanted to seem slimmer. Yeah, so many little things like that have just gone out the window. It’s really gradual how it happens, you all of a sudden become really happy in yourself and you’re just like,“OK, I’ve got this far, it’s fine. I’m doing alright.” You just get more confident, I think.
Is travelling to exotic locations a new passion of yours?
Oh, no. I’ve always done that. I used to go to Brazil when I had a swimwear line, and I used to buy swimwear from the artisans on the beach and bring it back just to give it to designers and go, “Look at this, look what they’re doing. They’re crocheting bikinis.” I find inspiration through travelling.
You travelled to Italy for your wedding. How’s the honeymoon phase going?
Now that I’m over the trauma of putting on a wedding and hosting families, I would love to do it all again. We were just talking about it the other day. We would love to get married again because it’s a big comedown when it’s all over. It’s such a magical time, and it’s so incredible to have all your favourite people in one place. It was like I lived my life in Technicolor for a week and then came back to London and it was like it all went to black and white again. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was like, “Now what?” Nothing’s ever going to be that heightened again.
It sounds like a dream…
We did it [the wedding] over a week. My family was there for five days, so we were actually all exhausted by the end of it. The wedding day wasn’t my favourite, the rehearsal dinner was. That was the best.
There’s less pressure on the rehearsal dinner, maybe. What did you wear for that?
I think so, yeah. I designed it myself, actually, and had it made by my local dressmaker. I went to a fabric shop in Paddington and I bought some Italian lace, which went with the trousers I was wearing. I had some ideas for the look and we just sketched it out and she [the dressmaker] just perfected it over a series of few fittings. My actual wedding dress was by Savannah Miller.
Is it true you haven’t had time for a honeymoon yet?
We do need to book our honeymoon. We spent so much money on the wedding, I thought let’s just leave it. As long as we do it within the year, we’re fine. I’d like to go to Japan. I think a honeymoon there would be great. My husband loves that whole kind of culture, and he’s a judo fighter, so I think he’d love that.
Finally, we have to ask about your beauty regime. What are you using and loving at the moment?
I love iS Clinical products, and I use Supergoop! SPF daily. I keep it really simple. For facials, I go to Sarah Chapman. I also do Collagenwave facials, and had some before my wedding. I have Hydrafacials as well. I also drink Skinade [collagen drinks].
Kelly’s F&F Edit is available at selected Tesco stores and selected styles are available online at next.co.uk .
