So there I was last Tuesday at Princess Studios, home of the Vanessa Show, slightly nervous and majorly intimidated by the humming business around me. All of a sudden, my recent courage (‘yes of course I’ll speak about sex on TV, why not?’) had made for the back door, abandoning me to sweat alone in the spotlight. Well, not alone really, but next to Liz Fraser.

Let me tell you something about Liz – not only is she a total pro (she does the whole TV thing like she’s never done anything else), she also is able to speak without stopping to breathe. Which isn’t very helpful if you are her counterpart in a discussion, trying to bring a different point across. All in all I was quite happy with my performance, and Liz and I are still able to see eye to eye, despite our dissimilar take on the importance of sex in a relationship. I’d call that a success.

There are a few things I have learned during my fifteen minutes on TV:

Meet the make-up fairy

1. If someone offers you to top up your makeup, say yes! The camera sucks all the colour out of your cheeks, leaving you looking like you haven’t slept in weeks
2. TV people are much warmer and more welcoming than I had imagined. A special thanks to the producer Christina for making me feel at ease, to the make-up fairy Liz for blushing my nervousness away and of course to Vanessa for pulling me along in the conversation
3. The camera adding ten pounds is a myth. I look not a single gram lighter than I do on TV
4. If everybody around you nods enthusiastically and slightly exaggerated into the lens, do the same! Or you’ll later find yourself looking stiff next to a bunch of people that look perfectly normal on screen

Liz doing Liz. Not that there had been much to do anyway

If you’ve missed it, you can watch the show here.