She’s the stylish and sweary entrepreneur with a beauty brand worth more than £200 million – so what’s missing in Trinny Woodall’s life? Companionship, she says. In an exclusive interview in Good Housekeeping’s June issue, the 62-year-old opened up about why, having spent three years on her own, now is the right time to start dating again – and the sign she’s simply not interested.
“I don’t want to live with anyone again. I don’t want to make room in my wardrobe for anyone. I like my dog and my daughter – not in that order – but I want companionship. I think I’m ready for that after three years on my own,” she explained.
Trinny was married to Johnny Elichaoff, her daughter Lyla’s father, from 1999 until 2009 and he died by suicide in 2014. She then had a decade-long relationship with Charles Saatchi that ended in 2023. Now, she says, she’s ready to look for love again, but if she’s not interested, any potential suitors will know it pretty quickly.
“I might try a lunch date – I’d wear a suit in a flattering colour and a silky shirt, but still with trainers, so that I had the excuse of getting back to the office if I needed it,” she said.
The fashion guru has spent the best part of a decade building her £200+ million business empire, Trinny London, but explained that success is so much more than a number. “I’m never happy. I’m not unhappy, because it’s important to acknowledge how far we’ve come,” she said.
“I’m doing a three-year plan at the moment and I’m asking: do I want to be the number-one premium beauty brand for women over 40 in the UK? Yes. Do I want to be the premium beauty brand for women over 40? Yes! In the UK, this is [within reach]. We have 1.7 million global customers, of whom a million are in Britain. It’s a nice dent in the market.”
What to Read Next
Her passion for skincare, she shared, was shaped by skin issues she experienced when she was growing up – and it felt considerably more noticeable when she did the BBC’s What Not to Wear with her co-presenter Susannah Constantine.
“I’m a skincare junkie because of the terrible acne I had while growing up,” she said. “Susannah had amazing peaches-and-cream skin. We’d work late, she’d have a few drinks, she’d go to bed with her makeup on and wake up looking like an angel. Meanwhile, I was scrubbing away at my skin.”
Nowadays, her focus is on staying well and energised. “When women are tired, we disappear. When we’re full of energy, people notice us,” she said. “I’m very aware that my mum died of Alzheimer’s and she also had osteoporosis – I want to be able-bodied, rather than incapacitated, so I’m doing everything I can to stay well.”
Alongside deciding to “take HRT till I die – it’s a game- changer”, she takes marine collagen powder and prioritises strength training and mental agility. Ultimately, she says it’s about doing what you can to feel good, rather than simply giving up as you get older. She recommends The Elevator by Trinny London "for women who want a good neck", a decent serum to deal with collagen depletion (“most women lose 2% a year as they go into menopause”), peptides and hyaluronic acid.
We’ll be adding it to our baskets then.
Trinny London Sheer Joy Pro-Collagen Lip Oil is £25 and Line2Define Lip Liner is £22. The Lip Reset Kit, featuring both is available in-store, in concessions and at trinnylondon.com from 12 May.
Nathalie edits our award-winning content across platforms, while overseeing our celebrity output and booking cover stars and talent for GH events. She previously held the role of Group Celebrity Director across GH, Red and Prima and led Future’s Life & Style entertainment hub.
