LadySports ::: AWESOME TO THE EXTREME...

British Sensation Awesome Anne Discusses Extreme Makeover UK!

by Shiai Mata

Fans have been asking for months just where Awesome Anne and WildKat have been. At her website, Anne only cryptically replied that the two of them had undergone a bit of surgery, but she gave no further details.

But that all changed earlier this month, when Anne announced that the two of them had been selected to take part in the British edition of the popular EXTREME MAKEOVER program, which airs in England on the UK Living channel. Because of confidentiality agreements, they could not discuss any of the details of the experience, nor could they allow photographs of their new looks to appear in public until after their episode aired on December the 23rd.

But now, in a LadySports Online exclusive, Awesome Anne shares her thoughts on going EXTREME before millions of television viewers!

It all started as a bit of a lark, actually. Neither Anne nor Kat necessarily felt they needed makeovers, but when the opportunity to apply for the show arose, they took it, mostly just for fun. But while the program,s producers agreed that the two ladies didn,t necessarily need extensive work done physically, they loved the backstory between them, and felt that their backgrounds would make for an interesting episode. As Anne explains, "It all happened so fast, and we really didn,t think we would get one. But they liked the story line, as Kat and I met when we were both Bunny Girls at the Manchester Playboy Club in the 1980s, and then did lots of things together, like the Territorial Army [the British equivalent of the American National Guard], bodybuilding, and of course the wrestling. They felt they could portray us as tomboys turned back to being feminine."

"We had some surgery, and we do look a little different now. But then again, they put you in an evening gown and lots of make-up."

"As you can see from the pictures, it wasn't all that nice at times, and it was rather pretty painful. But it was worth it in the end."

"We both missed our friends and family during the procedures, and found it hard not being able to do any training because of the surgery. We missed our wrestling, and we had to miss Pippa L'Vinn's last show because of it, which we were both looking forward to doing. Instead, we were in the hospital on the operation table... which is a very different type of limelight!"

Pippa, by the way, did play a small but essential role in all of this. When the show wanted to film footage of Anne and WildKat wrestling, L'Vinn graciously provided the services of her training school. Anne and Kat were greatly appreciative, as they know Pippa's gym is one of the best-outfitted and most professional looking facilities in the United Kingdom. For the sake of the image of women,s wrestling, they wanted to be certain viewers didn,t watch them sparring in any sort of ramshackle gymnasium, but instead they wanted people to see a modern, well-kept training center.

"For the first week after surgery," Anne continues, "it was pretty painful just to get up and walk around, which was really hard and frustrating for us, as we are so used to running around. But as time went on, things got better by the day, and we could see the changes, which was good. When we were healed enough to go home, we were taken for a haircut and colour. It was a shock for me when I saw that they had put me back to my natural colour hair! It seemed so dark after being a blond for the last ten years. And seeing Kat with long hair was great, as she had always worn her hair short."

"We were separated near the end, so we didn,t see the final results for one another until later. Being dressed in such gowns with our hair done and all of the make-up was strange, but good."

"Our families were all shocked with the results, but I was pleased when so many began to say how much I look like my daughter, Clare [aka pro-wrestler Charisma] now. And Kat and I both feel so much younger."

As the accompanying photos show, Anne and WildKat have indeed emerged from the procedure looking even more beautiful than they did before. But such surface prettiness has always paled in comparison to the beauty of their fighting spirits.

The best news is that both Awesome Anne and WildKat are again training, and these two glamorous grapplers hope to return to the squared circle early in the new year!