‘BBC show put me on path to stardom – but I had to turn down life-changing jobs’

Sophie Bow, who appeared on BBC’s Snog Marry Avoid as a teenager, has opened up about the real reason she missed out on major TV opportunities

A woman who featured on a popular BBC programme says she was left with little option but to reject several significant opportunities.

Sophie Bow underwent a dramatic ‘makeunder’ on BBC’s Snog Marry Avoid, which showcased the sassy robotic style guru POD (Personal Overhaul Device).

Instead of receiving a makeover, participants on the programme were given a ‘makeunder’ as they were convinced that less is more.

The programme proved enormously popular with audiences in the late 00s with singer Jenny Frost followed by comedian and Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Taylor presenting. The BBC Three series aired from 2008 until its sixth and concluding run in December 2013.

Sophie was merely 19 when she initially graced our television screens, encountering POD as a teenager who adored copious fake tan, thick makeup and attention-grabbing outfits adorned with sequins and glitter.

During that period, audiences warmed to the teenager and programme executives were eager to bring her back to our screens for additional projects.

Now 33, she has established herself as a prominent social media content creator but disclosed that she was compelled to decline numerous television opportunities due to her anxiety.

Reflecting on her journey since featuring on Snog Marry Avoid, she posted on TikTok and provided followers with an update on her current life.

She began by stating: “I would say appearing on telly back in the day definitely helped my career.

“Back then it was a very popular show but it disappeared off the face of the earth and no one knows why or where it went but it would be so good if they brought it back.”

She disclosed: “After being on that show, I did actually get casted for the first ever Love Island but I was in a relationship. I’ve always been in a relationship so I never went on the show.”

Yet her relationship wasn’t the sole factor preventing her, as she elaborated: “But there have been so many opportunities that I actually did miss out on – throughout my life because I do have anxiety – I suffer badly with anxiety.

“I don’t really know what triggered it but I do get quite back anxiety. Even to this day I get asked on brand trips or anything outside my comfort zone, if I’m not going with somebody I can’t.”

The content creator continued: “I really need to push myself to do more. I have a little boy and he is the best thing ever so I did take a little break from social media for a little while but then I did go back into social media.

“I did lose quite a lot of following from having the break then I started a TikTok account and here I am.”