WM Features

Joanne Malin stiffens as the gooey liquid is poured over her face; her trademark auburn locks tacked down with cling film to protect them from the alien-looking ooze.

She looks absolutely petrified.

The process starts with silicon

This is the first stage of a complicated two-sitting process taking hours that will turn Joanne, literally, into a larger than life personality.

The WM presenter is lying flat on a table as experienced make-up artist Iain Burton-Legge applies silicon solution over her delicate features.

Her cheeks are sucked of their colour long before the procedure starts and Vaseline circles around her eyes glint in the hot lights.

But for the occasional twitch, you’d think she was being embalmed.

The mummy returns

Hardened mask

“I’ve fallen asleep when I’ve had it done and I find it very relaxing,” reassures Iain, who has been a make-up artist for 25 years working with pop singers and fashion labels.

There’s no danger of Joanne going to sleep though. She looks more worried that she might not wake up!

Iain and his assistants, Toni Baker and Sorrel Coyle, continue applying silicone to make a plaster cast of Joanne’s face that captures every detail.

After about 15 minutes they are able to remove the hardened mask. For Joanne, who had to remain rigid during the process, it’s not a moment too soon.

Little Britain

“That was one of the worst experiences of my life,” she gasps.

Jo's all smiles now it's off

“Having the silicon applied was the worst sensation, like a veil coming down over your face. It was incredibly claustrophobic; just horrible!”

Iain returns the next day for the fitting, ‘claying on’ prosthetic features to her face including a chunky forehead, large nose, puffy eye-bags, chubby chin and unflattering jowls to make ‘fat Jo’ come alive.

He returns with a fat suit, too, designed and created by his former student, Gemma Hamill.

Calico, foam and wadding have been used to create a natural-looking bulk, with flesh-coloured lycra sewn on for a skin-like finish. Her new bellybutton, which Joanne can’t resist toying with, is created with a series of tacking stitches.

Taking it on the chin

Wearing only the suit she looks more like Little Britain’s Bubbles Devere and mischievously hares about The Mailbox office to startle her colleagues with her new look.

Shopping for shoes

She soon slows down though when her clothes go on and the costume is weighted for that size 18 feeling.

After four more gruelling hours of make-up Joanne soon discovers how weight-gain would affect her.

At work she finds her bum’s too big for her seat and that her back’s not supported properly and she struggles to reach the keyboard on her desk.

Food for thought

Even shopping for shoes is difficult as she struggles to bend down to do up the buckle.

“I was shocked at how difficult every day tasks became,” she admits.

Diet club

“My lack of mobility coupled with summer temperatures made everything more difficult.

"Obviously people don't go from a size 12 to a size 18 overnight but my sudden transformation showed me what my life would be like if I continue to put on weight.

A tight squeeze

“It’s definitely made me more determined than ever to keep going to my diet club and lose those few pounds before they become stones."

Be part of BBC WM's ‘Flab to Fab’ week and tune in to 95.6FM from Monday 6 July when Joanne Malin and the rest of the BBC WM team will be discussing weighty matters and exploring the many ways in which we can all fight the fat.