....news

LADIES LONG FOR THE LIMELIGHT

-Sheilas' Wheels starts search for women to appear in new TV ad-

Almost ten million women* in Britain crave their fifteen minutes of fame, according to a new report out today from Sheilas' Wheels – the car insurer designed for the female driver – to coincide with the launch of its 'Make Me A Sheila Star' campaign.

The 'First Steps To Stardom' study shows that four in ten British women hunger for fifteen minutes in the limelight and aspire to live the lifestyle of their favourite celebrities. Nearly half (49%) of fame-seeking women believe that an appearance as an extra in a TV ad may be their best chance of getting famous.

A fifth (19%) of women said they would be willing to go to an audition for a TV show, such as The X Factor**, to claim a place in the spotlight. Almost one and a half million (6%) women admitted they would even go as far as sleeping with a celebrity to make it happen.

The lengths women will go to get their fifteen minutes of fame	Number of women who would go to these lengths
Appear as a TV extra	49% or 4.6 million
Audition for/appear on a TV show	19% or 1.8 million
Sleep with a celebrity	6% or 564,000
Do something outrageous to get noticed by the media	5% or 470,000
Post a video of themselves on a website (eg YouTube)	3% or 282,000

The findings are published as Sheilas' Wheels launches its 'Make Me A Sheila Star' campaign that aims to make fame a reality for five lucky ladies. Sheilas' Wheels is searching for women in their 20's to 70's*** to guest star in its new TV ad – alongside the three lead Sheilas – which is due to air later this year.

Cathi Ogden, one of the stars of the Sheilas' Wheels TV ads, said: "I've really enjoyed the attention I've had since becoming a 'Sheila'. Guest starring on the Sheilas' Wheels ads is definitely a great place to start if you want to get on TV or are just a die hard Sheilas' fan who wants to join in the fun."

The research also highlighted that over half (51%) of British women see financial gain as the biggest draw of having a celebrity lifestyle, with a fifth (19%) saying that giving up their 9-to-5 job would be the best thing.

Independent psychologist Mark Tyrell said: "The drive to be famous is more than just a desire for wealth. There are many other reasons why people seek fame. We all need to feel validated by others. With sixty thousand new videos uploaded to YouTube every day and an avalanche of video blogging and viral video on the internet generally, it seems that everyone wants to get some attention and feel at least that bit better known."

"We yearn for our fifteen minutes in the limelight because fame can seem like a cure all. The famous often appear to lead care free, exciting and meaningful lives – which many of us desire. That's why the chance to appear on prime time TV is bound to attract great interest amongst the British public. Attention can give us a buzz – but of course the more recognition we get, the more we may start to need it."

Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for Sheilas' Wheels said: "Since day one we knew that Sheilas' Wheels would never be just another car insurer. The brand has reached out to women of all ages and we have been inundated with requests for all things Sheila – including signed photos of the girls, the song lyrics, and DVDs of the ads. We launched a fan site to help meet demand but wanted to go one step further by getting real Sheilas' Wheels fans glammed-up and on the big screen."

To find out more and enter the competition, Sheilas' Wheels fans should visit www.sheilaswheels.com. All applicants need to do is upload or post in a photo of themselves and complete the following line: Make me a Sheila star because… The competition closes on 10 March 2007 and filming will take place in April or May.

Notes to editors:

*Sheilas’ Wheels commissioned YouGov to speak to 1,083 female adults during December 2006.

**"The X Factor is a trademark of FremantleMedia Ltd. Based on the television programme 'The X Factor' devised and owned by Simco and produced by talkbackTHAMES (part of the FremantleMedia group) and SyCo TV. Copyright 2006 Nokia."

***The 'Make Me A Sheila Star' competition is officially open to women aged between 19 and 80 years of age inclusive. For terms and conditions see www.sheilaswheels.com.

Sheilas' Wheels: Sheilas' Wheels was launched in October 2005 to offer women drivers cheaper car insurance and product enhancements including £300 handbag cover – for bags stolen from the car (comprehensive cover only) – competitive breakdown recovery rates, a dedicated counselling line run by trained professionals to help customers cope with driving issues such as road rage (comprehensive cover only), and a network of female-friendly repairers. www.sheilaswheels.com