TV style guru Gok Wan's body confidence crusade goes to No10

Fashion guru Gok Wan has been to Downing Street as part of a campaign calling for body confidence lessons in schools.

The Leicester-born stylist delivered a petition signed by more than 45,000 supporters to Number 10 yesterday.

Gok, who launched the campaign as part of his How To Look Good Naked TV series, wants body confidence lessons to be included in the National Curriculum to help teenagers grow up feeling happy about their looks.

It comes after a survey on the show revealed more than 70% of teenagers had little or no body confidence.

The Channel 4 presenter, famed for helping women overcome body issues, experienced his own hang-ups growing up as a 21-stone teenager.

Speaking at Number 10 yesterday, Gok said: "Lack of body confidence has become a national epidemic among British teenagers.

"We launched a survey on How to Look Good Naked and it revealed an alarming number of adolescents are struggling with basic body identity.

"We have a social and public responsibility to advise and care for the next generation."

Gok said he had originally requested a meeting with education secretary Ed Balls "to no avail".

He then decided to get the petition together with the help of Shona Collins, the winner of his 2008 series Miss Naked Beauty, to get the issue addressed by the Government.

"The response over the last few weeks has been amazing," he said.

"We stand here with more than 45,000 signatures, from people of all ages, who all agree our country's teenagers will benefit from body confidence taught as part of the National Curriculum."

Explaining the drive behind the campaign, Gok said: "When I first started filming How to Look Good Naked I had no idea of the body hatred epidemic.

"After five years filming the show I feel confident that a difference can be made. We need to teach the next generation that what we see in the media is not a fair representation of the real body."

Shona, Gok's body confidence ambassador, has spent the past few months investigating young girls' body image issues and speaking to parents, teachers and teenagers across Britain.

She said: "It was shocking to me how depressed and down young girls are about their appearance and body shapes. I discussed with classes how they think it could be changed and the idea came about to include a lesson on body confidence in the curriculum.

"Girls want the schools to 'catch up' with the pressures on teenage lives and to address the issues openly. Body confidence issues are one of their biggest worries."

To find out more, visit:

www.channel4.com/naked