Lisa Butcher

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Lisa Butcher (born 1972 in London), is an English fashion model and TV presenter.

Butcher won British Elle's first Elle's Angels modelling competition in 1987, judged by Marie Helvin, Laraine Ashton and photographer Terry O'Neill. Her first job after she finished school was for Ralph Lauren in New York.

Royal photographer Norman Parkinson called Butcher the "Face of the 90's", and she graced the covers of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Harpers and Queen and Tatler. She has also appeared in numerous commercials most notably for Max Factor, Olympus Cameras, Center Parcs, Clarion mascara and Onebiol moisturiser ^[1].

Butcher appeared regularly at the Prêt a Porter shows in Paris, Milan and New York until she became a mother for the first time in 1995. As a now single mother of two (Olivia 10 and Amber 8), Butcher works exclusively from London. She has become a top high street model for many High Street brands, including Bhs and Etam; she is has also been the face of Hardy Amies since 2003.

Butcher has her own jewellery design The Eden Collection ^[2]

[edit] TV Presenter

Butcher started her TV career as a judge for Living TV's "Britain's Next Top Model", and then presenter.

After it was announced that Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine would be defecting to ITV, Butcher and her friend singer Mica Paris were announced in April 2006 as the new presenters of BBC1s fashion show "What Not to Wear".

[edit] Personal life

Butcher is a single mother of two (Olivia 10 and Amber 8).

She has been married twice, most famously to chef Marco Pierre White when she was 17 - Albert Roux was best man, but the union lasted just 15 weeks ^[3]. They met at Tramp, the Jermyn Street nightclub, and were married three weeks later at the Brompton Oratory in Knightsbridge. Marco says today that he was so intoxicated by her looks that he forgot to think about her personality. But it didn't help the marriage when, after being asked by a reporter what he thought of his bride’s £3,000 floor-length, backless white dress designed by Bruce Oldfield, Pierre White said she looked as if she was dressed to go down the catwalk rather than the aisle ^[4]. Butcher says of their brief marriage: "We went to the Scilly Isles for our honeymoon. On the first day Marco turned to me and said, “I don’t love you.” We spent two miserable days when we didn’t speak and he went shark fishing. Then I left." In her one interview about the marriage, Butcher has hinted that something unspeakable happened on the honeymoon: "Something very bad did happen but I’m not going to say what it was. It really wasn’t a very pleasant experience for me and my family." White, who described his bride as "a completely thick snob" wasted no sympathy, and promptly went out and got Matilda Conjero, his head waitress at Canteen, pregnant ^[5]

Her partners after this have included actor Jeremy Northam, entrepreneur Damian Aspinall, Chilean polo player Gabriel Donoso (father of her two children) ^[6], Jonathan Rhys Meyers ^[7]; and then 24 year old Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe ^[8].

She met friend Mica Paris at a party hosted by Tamara Beckwith. Butcher arrived thinking it was fancy dress, as the title of the party was "Leather & Feathers" - so she wore a PVC catsuit and five-inch heels. On seeing it was not and embarrassed, Butcher turned to head for the door but was stopped by Paris who said she looked superb. The pair, both single mums with demanding careers, hit it off immediately ^[9]