[Kaz]

HELEN'S VIDEO NASTY!

BIG Brother Helen's new fitness video has been slammed by Melinda Messenger's body guru. Simone Price, one of Wales' leading fitness specialists, gives the flyon-the-wall star's Dance Workout With Helen, due for release on Boxing Day, a woeful five out of 10 rating.

Simone helped model Melinda Messenger to get her body back in shape following the birth of her son Morgan, so she's an expert in celebrity figures. But Newport-born Simone, who runs Simone's Fitness Club in Monmouth, said she wasn't impressed and thought it wouldn't help anyone dance their way to a better body.

"Helen's got the word `workout' in the title, which is why I'm picking up on the techniques she uses. In my opinion she should promote this as a dance rather than fitness video, although the video claims it shows you how to `dance your way to a better body'. "It's definitely a young person's video and, in my opinion, isn't geared at weight loss, or the `better body' that the cover promotes. Also, Helen saying, `You can eat all the chips and cakes you want after this' really isn't good advice. Kids eat enough junk food anyway, without being encouraged.

"I'm not sure quite what she's trying to achieve with some of the moves. I'm not sure she's holding some stretches long enough either. "I'd like to see Helen's fitness or dance qualifications on the cover. She's obviously had help co-ordinating the routine, so I'd like to see from whom and their qualifications on the cover or in the credits too. "She looks totally uncomfortable doing parts of the routine. I'm surprised by that, because she's apparently got a lot of dance experience and that's all about being fluid, but she seems stiff. "I bought the Workout With Barbie tape a few years ago, and even that was accredited by some of the major fitness governing bodies."

Simone, a qualified and registered personal trainer, Pilates Instructor and NVQ assessor on fitness, added: "This video's not suitable for anyone with a pelvic floor condition, or older people. Someone carrying a lot of weight couldn't cope with all the directional change and rotation in the routine.

"A lot of my instructors buy fit-ness videos to see if they can lift just one or two new moves to use in their own routines. I honestly haven't seen anything here that catches my eye to use in class. "And in my view she looks as though she's following someone behind the camera."

Simone has featured on Good Morning With Ann And Nick and writes for Health And Fitness, Woman's Own and Mother And Baby magazines, and has reviewed hundreds of fitness videos. She added: "The two girls who help demonstrate with Helen haven't got good positioning for situps. The one's seen knock-kneed and the other's are splayed."

But she said there are good things in the video too. "I take my hat off to her, though. If she can ride on her Big Brother fame and get kids on the right track to exercise, then that's great, but she shouldn't advise on junk food. "There's lots of repetition, so it's simple to follow and isn't complicated, so it's a good introduction to exercise.

"It's a lovely cover. It would defi -nitely attract my eye. The pink would appeal to the younger person and she's a very pretty, eye-catching girl.

"Videos are nice for people who are fit already, but amateurs should really go and get fitness advice. Lots of my instructors have routines which knock spots off this one, but they'd never get the chance to make a video."

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Do you think we should tell her that Helen's video is all about having fun?

I don't think for one minute that anyone seriously looking to get fit is going to buy H's video - it's aimed at people who just fancy a bit of exercise and want to boogie along with Helen.

Chill out, Simone - don't take life so seriously!!

[Feefs]

'Fitness Experts' always seem to be being rude about celebrity videos. I'm not sure if it's jealousy for someone with greater appeal than them, or if it is just something the papers pick up on. In this case I think it's a combination of both. Ann and Nick was a long time ago now, and the quotes don't quite match with the video being 'slammed'. If the woman was marking it as a fitness video, then 5/10 is probably not that bad.

People who will buy this video will know Helen, and know she loves dancing and loves having fun with it. I don't think she'd ever claim to be a fitness expert, and we KNOW she isn't an expert on diet.

OK, she shouldn't advocate limitless chips, but it IS good that she's discouraging starvation diets. Who's going to buy the Geri video when you that to look like her you need to do 2 hours of it a day AND cut out all dairy, and eat occasional steamed vegetables and fish and nothing else?

I think the woman might be right about Helen looking a little stiff with the routine. I have my suspicions that the video was rushed through and it is not unlikely that for financial reasons they didn't practice it enough, or could have afforded a little more time in the studio.

[Romantic Old Bird]

Oooh dear, who asked her for an opinion and where did you find the report Kaz?

I agree, I think it's a shame they can't take it as a bit of fun. Helen is so enthusiastic I'd be surprised if it doesn't come over. What's wrong with having a laugh. As my other (mega fit and obsessed) half says, any exercise is good.

She must have something she can teach us like:

How to kick really high without being hospitalised afterwards

and

How to come home at night to find Mr Clarke waiting for you......

and

How to develop the stamina to cope with all that stuff...

Dreaming again.....
Here's me dancin'
And there's you watching me dancin'! :lol:

[Kaz]

Hi there, R.O.B.

The story came from the icwales.icnetwork.co.uk website. Just one of the sites I feverishly search for snippets of BB news.

P.S. I think your dancin' is ace!

[Feefs]

They did a very brief review on the Big Breakfast thismorning featuring that Simone woman.

It made me late for work, because at about 8:20, Richard Bacon said they'd be doing a review 'after the break'. It obviously got pushed back because they were running over, so didn't get squeezed in until just before the final news.

When it was first announced, Richard and Annoying Amanda made some comments about how it was less of a review, more a deconstruction. Little cheeky I felt, but such is the way of the brekkie, I'd expect little else.

They kept on mentioning it as 'coming up', so I wonder if some fans rang in. Because when the item was finally on, before Richard let Simone be rude he pointed out how they were obiously fans of Helen. I think Richard is, but it's really obvious Amanda has never liked her. (All harps back to the article about her and her bloke in hello being swamped by Helen's cover article. Plus no-one watched his show because they were all watching BB instead. And she's up herself.)

They showed a little clip of the introduction, which had Helen walking about on and hiding behind the letters of her name. Richard then asked "just tell us, are they doing the exercises properly". Woman said "no, I have to be careful what I say, but I gave it 5/10".

That was about it. The woman said something about how anything that got people doing exercise was good, but they had to do it properly. Simone and another random woman were dressed in exercise gear, so I think they had originally planned something bigger.

Altogether, telling me that they were going to do an item on it was longer than the item, so probably very good publicity for Helen. I can't imagine for a minute that the target audience will be that worried about some woman saying they're not doing the exercises properly. Especially as she went all frosty faced when Richard Bacon introduced her as "personal trainer to the stars and Melida Messenger".

[Kaz]

Thanks for that Feefs.

Hee hee, it sounds like Richard really stood up for Helen against that Simone woman. "Personal trainer to the stars and Melinda Messenger" - how ruude! :santa:

Simone obviously hasn't got a lot of star clients at the moment if she can spare the time to write articles and appear on the Big Breakfast. Next thing you know she'll be pointing out everything that was wrong with the fitness circuits Josh devised for the housemates!! :rudolph:

[Feefs]

I think someone already beat her to that one Kaz. I know someone criticised Stuart's sit-ups.

I wouldn't go so far as to say Richard stood up for Helen, but he wasn't as sarcastic as he could have been. I suppose that counts.

I quite like Richard, because he's always really sarcastic about the whole celeb thing and his role in it. He's taken to claiming that all the Wicked Whispers etc in the gossip columns are about him during the paper review. I think it started the day one of them 'revealed' how he'd given away his Blue Peter badge. As he'd done it on national tv he felt it wasn't much of a scoop.

I also know for a fact he's got a soft spot for Lorraine Kelly. I'd go so far as to say he fancies her!:santa:

It occurs to me that with the video coming out soon, Helen may be appearing on a few more shows. Perhaps Graham Norton will finally get her on. I'm sure he'll appreciate the video for what it is.

:bouncing:

[LEE]

Originally posted by Feefs
It occurs to me that with the video coming out soon, Helen may be appearing on a few more shows.

Ooh, I hope so!! :xmas::rudolph::santa:

I like christmas smilies I do. :snowman:

[Kaz]

From Stuart's website:

Some news for you all.
Myself and a few familar faces were filming last week in central London.

The programme which I believe will be shown sometime early on in the new year, will be used to promote the next series of BB3.

So in the words of Big Brother ... Keep watching

Stuart

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'Early on in the New Year' - can we wait that long? :santa:

I presume this is a different programme to the 'where are they now' follow-up show on the BB2 housemates, which Stuart said would be shown late December/early January. It's not mentioned in the Xmas/New Year TV paper, so I assume it will be early January. I hope so, anyway. :xmas:

Also this presumably confirms that there will definitely be a BB3. Hurray!!