Ten Years Younger

Can somebody please tell me why is everyone hating on Nicky Hambleton-Jones aka NH-J? The presenter of Ten Years Younger has been on the receiving end of some brutal attacks in blogsphere since her programme, returned to our screens last week. Take this scathing article penned by Kathryn Flett in The Guardian where she describes NH-J as neither warm nor empathic and then our mates at TV Scoop had to get in on the action and called NH-J a gruesome fashion Nazi.

Ten Years Younger is kind of like an extreme version of Extreme Makeover where Nicky totally revamps a haggard looking female (occasionally male) with the aim of shedding ten years off their age. The transformation is totally amazing and you have to see it to believe it but then considering the amount of work that they have to endure how could they not look good? We are talking cosmetic surgery in the name of botox and chemical peels, basically whatever it takes to sap the wrinkles out. Then there is teeth whitening, new veneers or braces and this is all before they go anywhere near hair, clothes and make up. I really like this programme and find it very entertaining, I also love NH-J and I find her endearing. Her advice is honest and straight to the point and her results are fantastic and more importantly she leaves her charges looking and no doubt feeling like a million dollars.

Flett and co have criticised her tactics of humiliating her charges by parading them on the street and asking strangers their age. Ahem, excuse me but the perceived age of the charge is one of the elements of the programme and a crucial part at that. Of course it must be a dent in the ego to hear people say you look like you are 50 when you are only 33 but if you have gone so far down the road that you stop caring about your looks then I doubt that you will be too devastated about what complete strangers think. Anyway the flip side is that the charges get to flaunt their new look and make the public eat their words. Don't hate the playa, hate the game. 10 Years Younger is simply compelling and a much superior programme than the insipid How to Look Naked which is a blatant rip off.

Ten Years Younger airs on Thursday at 8.00pm on Channel 4

You can check out NH-J's cute website Tramp2Vamp here