The final 10 girls for this year’s Star in a Bra competition have been selected by the public vote, and undoubtedly they’ll all be vervous and apprehensive about next week’s shoot. So, we asked one of last year’s final 10 girls, journalist Kirsty Smyth, to give us some words of wisdom on what it’s like to be a lingerie model for the day.

Congratulations to all the lovely ladies who now have a one in 10 chance of becoming the next face and body of Curvy Kate.

As one of last year’s entrants, I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I made the trip to London to strut my stuff in front of the camera.

Not that I went down with the intention of ‘strutting’, as such. In fact, I had no idea what I was going there to do, or how I’d react to having a camera pointing at a lingerie-clad me.

My day started at 0600am – not a good time for anyone, particularly me. But thanks to a mixture of excitement and apprehension I was awake before the alarm.

A four-hour train ride and a short walk later – and I was standing outside a large house in London.

It was at that point, as I stood on the doorstep with my finger to the bell, that most of my nerves disappeared, and I realised that what I was most worried about was not being able to find the place.

In moments of pure panic leading up to the shoot I had imagined arriving sweaty and bedraggled five hours late after getting well and truly lost in the London Underground!

So now I was there, I could finally relax.

One of the Curvy Kate team appeared at the door and welcomed me like an old friend. When I actually went inside, it felt as though I had popped round to a mates house for a brew (albeit a rather flush mate – because the house where the shoot takes place is a-maz-ing!)

One of the team made me a cup of tea while I eyed up the cakes and biscuits laid out for us to pick at in the kitchen (not a celery stick in sight – we curvy ‘models’ know how to live…)

Some of the other girls were already there; one was having her pictures taken in one of the fabulous bedrooms upstairs, another was in the make-up chair, getting pampered and powdered.

The atmosphere was brilliant; comfortable, but exciting. It felt as though we were a bunch of girls getting ready for a big night out.

After a stint in the hairdressers chair, a natural-looking make over by the magician (sorry, make-up artist) who performed true miracles, and a couple of flapjacks, it was my turn…

The shoot itself was great – it all feels nice and relaxed, Hannah from Curvy Kate is with you all the way for moral support and you can have some fun with the experience.

You also pick up some handy little tips, such as how to point your toes and distribute your weight – who knew models have so much to think about at once?

A highlight of the day for me was chatting with all the girls afterwards. From boyfriends to buns and boobs – all of us sat round the large dining table in our lingerie and dressing gowns, nibbling chocolate and drinking tea – we covered it all!

The whole day was totally surreal. I had moments of thinking “How did this happen? What am I doing here?!”, when I just wanted to giggle at the madness of it all. But most of the time I was filled with pride to be among some really great girls, and part of something that I really believe in.

All too quickly, it was time to go home, and, clutching our goodie bags, we all left on a high.

So, following my own Star in a Bra experience – which was, I’m happy to say, the best confidence booster I’ve had to date – I have some words of wisdom to impart for the class of 2011…

- Don’t leave your house this weekend without a bottle of sun cream in your bag, just in case he puts his hat on and comes out to play. This may sound ridiculous. We are, after all, in Britain. It’s April. This time last year I thought the same thing, which is why, as I watched an athletics event three days before the shoot, wearing a t-shirt and without a cardy to hand, the sun slowly, but oh so surely, turned my arms a nice shade of pink.

I was totally helpless. This was the one and only time in my 25 years that I have been sunburnt in England – one week before a lingerie shoot – brilliant timing. (Thanks to the wonders of modern technology the lines between ghostly-white and beetroot red at the top of my arms were blurred in the pictures – but if you want a laugh check out the video from last year’s shoot. The arms speak for themselves.)

- Try to wear comfortable clothes when travelling to the shoot. Anything too fitted can leave red crumple marks on your skin which take a while to fade (again, I’m speaking from experience here).

- Feel comfortable in your own skin; work that camera.

- Lastly, but most importantly…  have fun!

Good luck, and enjoy….

Kirsty x