Interview: Angus Purden, TV presenter

Published on Saturday 31 October 2009 10:18

ANGUS PURDEN insists a perfect day would involve sitting with a cappuccino and studying for his psychology degree. But it's hard to see when the former model and Mr Scotland manages to sit down, never mind open a textbook.

As well as being the face of the People's Postcode Lottery, he is presenting a new STV show. Make Me Happier sees Angus and Lorraine Kelly help people overcome issues such as shyness, lack of confidence and isolation to pursue their dreams.

When not dashing around Scotland to film, he is redecorating his flat in the New Town. He also regularly travels to London, where his partner is based.

Despite his schedule, Angus couldn't be happier. Presenting the two programmes is his "dream job" – with the common thread being that both are about improving people's lives.

"The new show is shining the spotlight on mental wellbeing" he says. "I love working with Lorraine – she is incredibly funny and extremely knowledgeable.

"I'm really hoping people will take something away from it. Nowadays the way we communicate can mean people are cutting themselves off. It's important that we feel part of a community.

"We're encouraging people to go out and try different things. One lady had really lost her confidence. We took her to Edinburgh and persuaded her to do a bus tour. She really enjoyed it and found it very rewarding.

"We got one guy to climb Ben Nevis, and I went with him. It took us about five hours and we had a lot of people overtaking us!"

He is helping launch the Postcode Lottery across the nation, with tickets on sale in convenience stores to rival the National Lottery. He will surprise winners with cheques – sometimes in the morning when they are still wearing pyjamas.

He says: "People immediately like you. You're making them happy. Some don't take it in straight away – some think it's something like Candid Camera!

"After leaving his Lanarkshire home aged 17, Purden worked as a catwalk model in Milan, then as a steward for British Airways.

But he has always had an interest in TV, and jumped at the chance to be a GMTV researcher, editing videos and preparing reports. He worked his way up to producer, before presenting on BBC's Cash In the Attic. He fronted Living's Ghost Towns Live and C4's Room for Improvement.

He says: "A lot of people want to be on TV, but it's hard work and not as glamorous as it looks.

As a presenter you need to be yourself – you can't put on an act for the camera. What people see is the real me, although in life I'm a bit more risqu!"

He has fallen in love with Edinburgh: "I love exploring the Old Town, or having a coffee in Harvey Nichols. My favourite shop is Gant on George Street – I'm a bit of a high street boy, but I'm trying to discover more independent shops."

He is also in his second year of studying for a psychology degree through the Open University, and is considering taking a year out to study full-time. "I absolutely love it," he says. "I've always been fascinated by what makes people tick.

"I think I'm pretty good at giving advice – in fact some friends call me Agony Angus!"

People's Postcode Lottery players must sign up before November 17 for a chance to win the 1,998,000 Big Postcode Rollover. For more details see www.postcodelottery.com. Make Me Happier begins on Tuesday, November 10 on STV