The woman behind a pair of hands that have been insured for £5 million has revealed the secret of her success – almond oil.
The cheap secret behind the £5 million hands: almond oil
They are the hands that have been admired in adverts from America to Australia – and insured for £5 million.
Gemma Howorth's flawless hands, with their smooth, blemish-free skin, long, elegant, straight fingers and deep nail beds, have doubled for those of supermodels like Kate Moss and Lily Cole in photoshoots.
Her hands are so crucial to Miss Howorth's fortune that she has had them insured at Lloyds of London for £5 million.
They can earn her £200 for two hours, £800 for an average day's work and £2,500 a day for the most lucrative assignments.
In perhaps the ultimate accolade, they have also starred in adverts for Fairy Liquid, still renowned for its former jingle: "Now hands that do dishes can feel soft as your face."
And the secret of such perfection? A £1.50 pot of almond oil from Boots.
Miss Howorth, of Chelsea, west London, said her hands have featured in more than 250 television adverts and on countless billboards. She estimates that her hands – if not her face – have been seen by millions worldwide.
"I even saw them in a television advert while on holiday in Cambodia," she said.
Looking after her hands is a full-time job involving precautions leave onlookers thinking she is "a lunatic."
Miss Howorth, 27, said: "I sunbathe with gloves on. I forgot the gloves once, and even with high-factor sun cream, I noticed tiny wrinkles developing on my hands.
"After ten years in this job, it's an ingrained habit to think before I do things. Even opening the fridge door could break a nail. Rummaging in your handbag is potentially lethal. You have to open it carefully, so you don't get a paper cut."
She also admits that her hands do not do dishes (even though they do advertise washing up liquid.) That job is reserved for her husband Marcus Watts, 45, who runs Greenforce, an overseas volunteering company.
Miss Howorth said: "I can't remember the last time I washed anything without wearing gloves. It's really bad for your hands. I have a dishwasher, a cleaner and a husband."
She also has insurance – and reveals the £5 million valuation of her hands and her almond oil secret in Stella, The Sunday Telegraph's magazine although she does not discuss the premium.
She said: "I could claim on the insurance if I get a paper cut, depending on how bad it is. If I cut my hand I might not work for two weeks, and that could be thousands of pounds lost.
"There are clauses for things like broken wrists, and if one of my fingers gets chopped off, I get a very big payout."
She added: "The insurance doesn't cover me for skiing, so I ski in steel gloves. They have a bit of steel in the back, to stop you breaking your wrists."
But her ultimate protection for her hands is rather more prosaic.
Despite manufacturers sending countless expensive beauty creams she always prefers her trusty almond oil. She uses her "secret weapon" to moisturise her hands at least 30 times a day.
She said: "I have tested hundreds of products, and I always go back to my almond oil. It is the cheapest and best. Some other products don't seem to sink into the skin, but almond oil does.
"It really nourishes, and you don't need separate hand creams and cuticle oils: almond oil gives you the lot.
"And you can get it behind the pharmacy counter at Boots for about £1.50 for a 50ml pot."
Miss Howorth, who also runs Body London, the UK's only body-part model agency, tells all her 140 models to use almond oil. Many are now converts.
Sunna Jarman, of Chiswick, west London, provided the legs that went with Sharon Stone's face in posters for the film The Muse. The 37-year-old mother of two often finds herself on leg modelling assignments with 17 year-olds. She puts the enduring youthfulness of her legs down to daily gym sessions, good genes that have helped her avoid cellulite, and almond oil.
"It's just fantastic. I never buy normal moisturisers. Maybe it's just me, but I find they are just no good. I don't think you need to spend money on expensive things like that."
Miss Howorth, of Chelsea, west London, said her hands have featured in more than 250 television adverts and on countless billboards. She estimates that her hands – if not her face – have been seen by millions worldwide.
"I even saw them in a television advert while on holiday in Cambodia," she said.
Looking after her hands is a full-time job involving precautions leave onlookers thinking she is "a lunatic."
Miss Howorth, 27, said: "I sunbathe with gloves on. I forgot the gloves once, and even with high-factor sun cream, I noticed tiny wrinkles developing on my hands.
"After ten years in this job, it's an ingrained habit to think before I do things. Even opening the fridge door could break a nail. Rummaging in your handbag is potentially lethal. You have to open it carefully, so you don't get a paper cut."
She also admits that her hands do not do dishes (even though they do advertise washing up liquid.) That job is reserved for her husband Marcus Watts, 45, who runs Greenforce, an overseas volunteering company.
Miss Howorth said: "I can't remember the last time I washed anything without wearing gloves. It's really bad for your hands. I have a dishwasher, a cleaner and a husband."
She also has insurance – and reveals the £5 million valuation of her hands and her almond oil secret in Stella, The Sunday Telegraph's magazine although she does not discuss the premium.
She said: "I could claim on the insurance if I get a paper cut, depending on how bad it is. If I cut my hand I might not work for two weeks, and that could be thousands of pounds lost.
"There are clauses for things like broken wrists, and if one of my fingers gets chopped off, I get a very big payout."
She added: "The insurance doesn't cover me for skiing, so I ski in steel gloves. They have a bit of steel in the back, to stop you breaking your wrists."
But her ultimate protection for her hands is rather more prosaic.
Despite manufacturers sending countless expensive beauty creams she always prefers her trusty almond oil. She uses her "secret weapon" to moisturise her hands at least 30 times a day.
She said: "I have tested hundreds of products, and I always go back to my almond oil. It is the cheapest and best. Some other products don't seem to sink into the skin, but almond oil does.
"It really nourishes, and you don't need separate hand creams and cuticle oils: almond oil gives you the lot.
"And you can get it behind the pharmacy counter at Boots for about £1.50 for a 50ml pot."
Miss Howorth, who also runs Body London, the UK's only body-part model agency, tells all her 140 models to use almond oil. Many are now converts.
Sunna Jarman, of Chiswick, west London, provided the legs that went with Sharon Stone's face in posters for the film The Muse. The 37-year-old mother of two often finds herself on leg modelling assignments with 17 year-olds. She puts the enduring youthfulness of her legs down to daily gym sessions, good genes that have helped her avoid cellulite, and almond oil.
"It's just fantastic. I never buy normal moisturisers. Maybe it's just me, but I find they are just no good. I don't think you need to spend money on expensive things like that."
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