LOOKS: LOUISE

 Louise breezes into Millers Hotel in Westbourne Grove london, in what she calls her 'dud clothes' - a little fitted denim jacket, combats, T-shirt and trainers. I must say, though, the word 'dud' is not one that immediately springs to mind when you see her. If I was a hot blooded male complete with brain in pants, I know exactly what I'd say. Phwoar!
 And she's got company. At her side is a boy with lovely big brown eyes, who's hung like a donkey and dribbles for Britain. Nope it's not Jamie - it's Winston, Louise's very big, very smelly, very sweet British Bulldog. Aw. Contrary to his hard man image, he sits in the corner, as quiet as a little mouse, and watches while his mistress is transformed. A quick whizz of the hairdryer, a pluck of the tweezers and lashings of lip gloss later, the new look Louise is revealed. So while Winston drooled on my knee, I got the low-down on his owner's glam grown up new image...

YOUR IMAGE WAS VERY CUTESY, GIRL-NEXT-DOOR IN THE PAST. DID THIS REALLY REPRESENT YOUR CHARACTER? At the time definitely. When I left Eternal. I felt too nervous to take nay chances with my image. The girl-next-door thing was me playing safe. It worked so I stuck with it. In fact, people get scared of you changing. With any other job - car mechanic, nurse, whatever - you get better with experience, so your allowed to make mistakes at first. But it's the other way round with music. You're expected to be brilliant from the start and when you do get better and want to move on, people don't want to know.

ARE YOU SCARED THAT THE SAME THING'LL HAPPEN TO YOU?

 The hardest thing for me now is to make the change from being, well, a bit teeny-bopperish to being more grown up and getting people to take my music seriously. But I think they just have to accept I've moved on. The old Louise was five, six years younger than me. A lot has changed in that time, I'm married for a start.

OOOO, I LOVE WEDDINGS! WHAT SORT OF DRESS DID YOU WEAR?

 Well it was all really last minute, so I phoned up my Mum in England and asked her to bring a dress over. She bought this gorgeous white Colce & Gabbana dress with butterflies all over it.

DID YOU FEEL YOU MISSED OUT ON THE WHOLE MERINGUE THING?

 No, I'm not much of a meringue person, I like it on other people, but I just wanted something different for us. I mean, half an hour after we got married we were swimming in the sea. It was really chilled out.

AND I HEAR JAMIE WENT FOR THE BLACK SAFARI SUIT OPTION...

 Ugh, no, yuk, I'd have murdered him if he'd turned up in a safari suit. He wore a pair of really crisp, navy trousers and a short sleeved shirt. He looked gorgeous. He's one of those people who always looks immaculate. He can put on a tracksuit and still look smart. It really gets on my nerves!

HAS HE INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE?

 Yes - I tend to wear things that I know jamie likes. As much as I try to be really women's lib and say, 'I don't care what he thinks, I'm wearing it', part of me is always going, 'Oh no, he hates me in this'!

SO WHAT SORT OF CLOTHES DO YOU WEAR NOW?

 I suppose I've moved away from the big fashion houses towards more edgy stuff. I love sparkly, backless top and jeans. You can wear them with a little top and still look dressed-up.

DO YOU THINK THIS NEW IMAGE IS REFLECTED IN YOUR MUSIC?

 Yes, my music is definitely more edgy and grown-up too. I'm at the stage now where I think my life's going to go through so many different changes and if I can use that to give my music and my style more depth and more oomph then that's brilliant.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN STYLE BETWEEN LOUISE THE SINGER AND LOUISE AT HOME WITH HUBBY?

 Oh definitely, What I wear out in the evening is what I'd wear as Louise the singer. But at home I'm much more slobby if I'm not working, I don't put make-up on. I feel really sorry for Jamie when we first started out. He'd see photos of me looking really glam, then he'd meet up with me with my hair in a side ponytail or plastered to the side of my face!

SURELY NOT! DON'T YOU HAVE A STYLIST TO ADVICE YOU?

 Yeah, but I'm really lucky because I've got a stylist who listens to me - it's very much a partnership. I'm not someone who can be squeezed into something or fall out of something and feel comfortable. I've tried all that and it just doesn't work. I don't do uncomfy.

WHERE DO YOU GET ALL YOUR FASHION IDEAS FROM?

 Magazines! I buy the lot. But to be honest, I don't know who'd wear a lot of the stuff you see in them. I usually hate half the clothes I see.

I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. I ALWAYS TAKE ONE LOOK AND THINK, 'YOU WOULDN'T GET ME WITHIN WOBBLING DISTANCE OF THAT WITHOUT THE AID OF MY TRUST WONDERBRA'...

 Yeah. Remember what they can do to pictures though. Whenever I see a dead pretty, tall, skinny model, I'm just like 'Airbrushed! She has sooo been airbrushed' it makes you feel so much better - even if it's not true!

HMMM, GOOD PLAN. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF THAT WAS DONE TO A PICTURE OF YOU?

 Well, if someone wanted to stick a picture of my head on, say, Gisele's body I certainly wouldn't say no. Mind you, it did happen once. Some tabloid paper stuck my head on the body of a porn star. It was awful. We were on the way to Jamie's grandparents when we saw it - I'd have died of embarrassment if they'd seen.

It must be a bit weird knowing that men see a pic of you and start rubbing their thighs going, 'Oooh, that

LOUISE MAKES ME COME OVER ALL FUNNY'.

 I always just think of what they'd do if they saw me in real life, just like this. They'd just go [Louise makes a very grump looking face] What a disappointment.

HMMM, I RATHER DOUBT IT. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WEREN'T YOU ONCE ACCUSTOMED TO, ER, 'GETTING THEM OUT' FOR THE LADS' MAGS?

 No! The shoots I did for lads' mags were sexy I suppose, but I always kept my clothes on. When I look back at those magazines, I'm amazed. I'm the only one in them with my boobs covered!

IF SAY, FHM WANTED YOU TO POSE FOR THEM NOW, WHAT WOULD JAMIE SAY?

 To be honest, he doesn't really get involved, but that's only because e knows I'd never do anything he wouldn't like. Actually, I have just posed for a men's mag, but I said, 'I'm, married now, I don't want to flash lots of flesh.' They were cool about it. Anyway, I reckon you can look far sexier without getting your kit off.

What if a girlie mag asked Jamie to pose in the buff. Not that I'm suggesting it of course...

 Ha! It'd be hilarious, but he'd never do it. He'd be way too embarrassed.

SO GO ON THEN, DO YOU EVER BUY NAUGHTY UNDIES TO SURPRISE YOUR DARLING HUBBY FOR AN EVENING?

 Sometimes. I love Agent Provocateur stuff and the range they do for M&S. Mind you, most of it just ends up stuffed in the bottom of my drawers, I never get around to wearing it..

YOU'VE WORN A RATHER MOTLEY ASSORTMENT OF OUTFITS OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR POP CAREER. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITES?

 I wore this amazing Chloe dress when I did the photos for my album sleeve. It's this sort of halter-neck, floaty thing, I felt really girlie and sexy...

AND ANY REAL FROCK HORRORS?

 Oh God, yes. During my 'Naked' period, there were a few shockers. One was this blue PVC outfit. Skin tight and dead shiny. I look back and just think, 'Aaaargh! Embarrassing!' I mean, what was I thinking?! Perhaps I was just confused after leaving Eternal...

WELL, I GUESS THE FASHION POLICE HAVE FOUND US ALL GUILTY AT SOME TIME. WHEN I WAS 12 I WENT THROUGH A FLUORESCENT STAGE...

 Oh no, I did that too! I used to wear different coloured fluorescent socks on each foot. And wait for this - if I was feeling really cool, I'd wear two different colours on one foot. Mum's got those pictures hidden away at the bottom of a drawer. And that's where they're staying!

VERY WISE. WHAT ABOUT YOUR MAKE-UP? ANY ORANGE JAWLINE NIGHTMARES TO 'FESS UP TO?

 Not quite, but in the early days I wore so much make up that it looked like I was really trying to be big and grown up! The OTT thing doesn't suit me. I've learnt that you can be glam without slapping it on with a shovel.

FINALLY, IF YOU COULD BE ONE ITEM OF CLOTHING, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?

 I think I'd be an old pair of vintage Levis that get better with age.

YOU KNOW WHAT, LOUISE? WE QUITE AGREE WITH YOU.

* Louise's new single, Beautiful Inside is on sale now.