I've never been one for sport - all that sweating makes your make-up run. But having spent the evening with a cabal of cricketers - well, OK, having stood next to them - at the launch of Hugo Boss White Edition, I have decided to exercise, even if it is just control of the remote in front of the TV this summer during the Ashes.

Because as well as being supremely talented on the pitch, our young men are showing a certain skill on the style front, too, swapping their cricket whites for flatteringly well-cut Hugo Boss suits and boyband haircuts. Special mention must go to Stuart Broad, with his blonde highlights, expertly slicked hair with flicks in just the right places and long eyelashes over baby blues on lightly tanned skin. At 22 years of age, he's a sure contender to become the style icon of English cricket to football's David Beckham and rugby's Danny Cipriani.

And he's full of sound style advice, too, criticising the dress sense of the older players, particularly Andrew Strauss whose taste is "particularly bad". "He's very public school - his collar's always up and he wears smart shoes all the time," he said of the captain, who retaliated by complaining about the amount of time 'Broady' spends in front of the mirror before they go out to field, accusing him of spending longer in the bathroom than his girlfriend.

Appropriately, the new Hugo Boss scent, White in Motion - which goes on sale on June 3 - comes in a bottle shaped like a cricket ball, with musky, woody notes diffusing through an opening burst of fresh, citrusy scent. I asked 'Broady' about his favourite scent, and the perfect gent, as well as style icon in the making, diplomatically replied that it's whatever his girlfriend's wearing. Or maybe he just couldn't remember the name of her favourite perfume...

Bumping into Laila Rouass recently - former star of Hollyoaks, Footballers Wives and now Primeval - she said she'd gone straight out and spent a fortune on Christian Dior after I'd recommended one of the brand's foundations to her in an interview a few days previously. So, of course, I recommended a few more little miracle workers to the actress - products that stand head-and-shoulders above everything else I've tested. Ever.

And for anyone else keen to save money experimenting, these are the top ten little beauties that really work (I've just passed a few of them on to Lisa Snowdon, too, so if she suddenly starts looking even more amazing than usual, you know who to credit!

Christian Dior Capture Totale Foundation. Perfect coverage that smoothes an uneven complexion. Best of all, people asked me if I'd had Botox when I first started using it. Very expensive (more than £50) but very worth it if you can afford it: wait 'til you're in Duty Free.

Christian Dior SkinFlash. It's called a Radiance Booster Pen, but I use it as an ordinary concealer. It's liquid that's dispensed through a soft brush so is great for soft, smooth coverage that doesn't crinkle into lines.

Olay Regenerist 30 Second Wrinkle Filler. A miracle worker. Instantly smoothes lines.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara. Does everything it promises (although you need to keep on layering - while wet so it doesn't clump). Lush.

Barbara Daly make-up for Tesco here to stay colour & gloss. Choose a neutral colour, apply and leave to dry then put your normal lipstick or gloss on top. Not only will they 'stick' better, but when they do smudge off, you're still left with colour beneath that lasts half the day.

Bourjois So Laque! With Vinyl nail polish. Great choice of on-trend colours, high-shine finish and it lasts for days and days - I've had it on my toenails for weeks without so much as a chip.

Ruby & Millie Eye Liner. So soft, you can smudge it and use it as eyeshadow.

L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine and Barbara Daly make-up for Tesco lipstick both tie for wearable colours with iridescence (not in all of the Barbara Daly colours) that makes lips look more luscious without the need for lipgloss.

Bourjois Illuminating Touch. A pot of peach highlighter that gives an imperceptible glo. Apply to cheeks for the perfect finishing touch.

A woman's hairdresser is meant to be her best friend; the one upon whom she relied to help her look and feel her best while also providing a free listening service and advice line.

So when I heard about Katie Price and Peter Andre splitting this week, the behaviour of Katie's hairdresser and make-up artist at the Soap Awards on Saturday night seemed to make sense. While all around him celebrities were being open, fun and friendly, Gary Cockerill was a picture of solitude and looked serious and preoccupied as he paced the corridors apparently avoiding eye contact.

Which is exactly how you would behave if you knew two of your main clients and personal friends were about to split.

Except I've just learned Gary didn't have a clue. He heard about the split from the news like the rest of us. So it looks like whatever happened between Katie and her man happened can be pinned down to Sunday. What was up with Gary remains a mystery... 

Attending showbiz events is an almost daily occurrence in this line of work, but I honestly cannot remember a night as enjoyable as this year's Soap Awards. Contrary to what the tabloids would have us believe, when soap stars get together it's one big happy family, although it's surreal to see Corrie's Windass boys sharing a pint with the Dingles from Emmerdale and Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) from the cobbles happily chatting to Ian Beale (a newly bearded Adam Woodyatt) from the Square. There wasn't a hint of rivalry or diva-ish behaviour. In fact, it's the friendliest, most fun event on the showbiz calendar.

Kym Marsh looked A-list amazing with a short, fitted green dress and black high heels that matched her super-shiny black bob, minus the extensions she's sporting as Michelle Connor in Coronation Street. Alison King, who plays Michelle's sister-in-law, Carla Connor, made her first public appearance since leaving the show to give birth, wearing a Fifties-style polka dot dress and with big, bouffant hair, pinned up into a casual chignon at the back.

In fact, big hair was the big trend at the event. Michelle Keegan, who won Sexiest Female for her role as Tina McIntyre in the Street, wore her hair down but still dressed, backcombed at the roots to create loads of Fifties-style volume around the face, tumbling into soft curls at the ends. It was a look echoed by Emma Rigby from Hollyoaks, former EastEnder Gemma Bissix and Kara Pointon, who's about to leave the BBC soap.

Wisely, while the hairstyles did all the talking, make-up was kept suitably low-key, with not even a speck of glitter to be seen. Lips were pale and often pink - a key colour for spring/summer.

There was lots of colour coordination, though. Samia Smith - Maria Connor in Coronation Street - perfectly matched her green dress (loose enough to hide her pregnancy bump) with green eyeshadow and Barbara Windsor, who picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award, picked out the pinks and purples of her dress with her eye make-up. The star gave a genuinely touching speech when she picked up her gong before squeezing screen sons Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden in a tight group hug as they presented her with the award and thanking husband Scott for his support. The couple appeared completely devoted to each other as they mingled at the after-show party where the stars ate mini portions of fish and chips and burgers while dancing to Madness in a huge stage area at the BBC, dressed with black drapes and red chandeliers, but accessed down winding corridors past incongruously placed display cases containing gory prosthetics from Casualty and gruesome monsters from Doctor Who.

I spoke to EastEnder Scott Maslen, who plays Jack Branning, just after he won Sexiest Male, which he said was going to get him lots of ribbing from his fisherman friends - the actor's a keen angler in his spare time. Craig Cazey, who plays Graeme Proctor in Coronation Street, told me he was genuinely surprised to take home Best Newcomer - which maybe explains why he had decided to pair his dinner jacket with a blue plaid lumberjack shirt underneath. And Laila Rouass, currently starring in Primeval, but whose career kicked off in Hollyoaks, bemoaned the lines she reckons have started to appear around her eyes now she's in her mid-thirties with a two-year-old to look after. She must be using a magnifying mirror because Laila looked flawless - a real natural beauty with a warm, down-to-earth personality, too.

But then, there wasn't one celebrity at the event who wasn't friendly and fun. In fact, I ended the night on the floor with the Sugdens from Emmerdale as they scrabbled around looking for the contents of my clutch which had spilled out along the corridors as we exited the party. He might have a temper in the Dales, but Andy Sugden is a true gent in real life.