Samantha and Amanda Marchant, aka Samanda, came to fame on Big Brother 2007, where they jointly came second.
After leaving the house, the duo has been kept busy with launching a music career, workout DVD and a range of skincare products.
Having been known on Big Brother for their playful style of dressing which involved pink, pink and more pink, when they came out of the house the twins took on a stylist to give them a wardrobe overhaul.
They now style themselves and are evidently firm highstreet fans who demonstrate that designer labels are not needed to look great.
They have developed their own senses of style which are a mix of prettiness with a punky edge.
With forays into modelling and an ever-increasing interest in fashion, a clothing range may be a near possibility...
They talk fashion, fitness and plans for the future with us.
Sarah McIntyre: How did you find fame after coming out of the Big Brother house?
Amanda Marchant: When we came out of Big Brother we just couldn’t believe all the opportunities that came from it. It was incredible, we did a fitness DVD, a perfume, a single – everything that we could ask for and wanted to do we’ve done.
Now we’re focusing a lot on fashion. We wanted to do that before when we were in university but we never thought we’d ever have the opportunity to get into fashion, but now we’re going to be judging Miss England and we’re going to be on a catwalk at London Fashion Week.
SMI: Have you got any plans to design your own clothes?
Samantha Marchant: We’d love to do that! We’ve been talking to different clothing companies about having our own range out and it’s something we’d really like to do and are looking into, definitely.
SMI: Do you think you both have very different senses of style?
AM: We kind of have a similar style but Sam is more like chic and I’m more like funky.
SM: Everyone says it but we don’t notice is ourselves, they say Amanda is more the rocky one and I’m more glamorous.
SMI: Do you go shopping together a lot?
Both: All the time!
AM: We can’t go shopping when we’re not together or if we do we text each other pictures of us wearing the clothes through saying 'What do you think of this?' It’s very funny!
SMI: Where is your favourite place to shop?
AM: Topshop, but also New Look. Everyone underestimates New Look thinking there’s not much in there, you go to Oxford Street, it’s got a massive store, the shoes are amazing!
SM: We’re definitely more high street though. I just think you can get more for your money. In Topshop you can go in and there’s so much to pick from. I got all these compliments from clothes that I buy on the high street.
You had a skincare range for Young and Pure, how involved were you in creating the products?
AM: Mainly we did a lot of work with the perfume. It was really good we got to test smells, we got to look at all the statistics of what people actually like. We got a lot more involvement in it than we thought we would and it was so interesting to see what you have to do to release your own perfume. It was really good to have to much input.
SMI: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
SM: About an hour, if we’re being quick!
AM: It’s not even the make-up part it’s actually the outfit. We get the whole wardrobe out and we have to correspond with one another!
SMI: Do you think your personal style has changed over the past few years?
AM: Oh definitely. When we went on Big Brother we didn’t really have a fashion sense – we just dressed in pink, everything girly. We’d just dressed like we were in ‘Mean Girls’ the film!
SM: Then when we came out of Big Brother we wanted to get more into modelling and fashion so we got given our own stylist. She took us out, chucked away half of our wardrobe, saying “That has got to go”. We were like “Nooo all our pink stuff!” She took us around the shops, flicking through fashion magazines and going to all the fashion shows we just started to do it ourselves.
SMI: You released a fitness DVD, what are your top tips for keeping in shape?
AM: We tend to go to the gym a lot, but what we absolutely love to do is fitness DVDs – we do it like four times a week. Every time a new one comes out we have to get it! It’s so much easier that spending time getting to the gym, and being at home you’re more comfortable. We just have a lot of fun doing it ourselves.
SMI: So what are your plans for the future?
AM: We’ve just been practicing DJing for the past while. We started in October, it’s something that we’ve always been interested in doing, but never got the opportunity and never thought we’d be able to do it. So like it’s all calmed down a bit more now and we’ve more time to concentrate on DJing. We’ve been having lessons and we’re playing parties and it’s been really cool.
SM: We get to choose what type of songs to play; we’re really interested in electro and funky-house so it’s amazing. We want to come over to Ireland in the summer again we’ve heard you’ve the most amazing clubs here so we’d love to come back!
