Suzanne Paul (born Susan Barnes, 16 November 1956)[1] is an English-born New Zealand television personality, who gained fame for marketing Natural Glow makeup and appearing on various infomercials since the 1990s, affectionately nicknamed the "infomercial queen".[2][3] Paul has also made appearances in numerous television shows both as a presenter and a guest, including as the winner of the New Zealand version of Dancing with the Stars in 2007.[4]
Paul was born in Wolverhampton and grew up in the working class area of Whitmore Reans.[5][6] She described her childhood as "very low-working class", saying her family home lacked an indoor toilet and hot water.[7] Paul's mother left their family, and she was raised by her father, who worked long hours at a factory. As an older child, Paul earned pocket money helping clean tables in a local pub.[7]
Paul worked as a sales demonstrator for almost two decades in the United Kingdom.[8] She came to New Zealand in 1991.[9]
Career
In her early career, Paul became known for selling products such as Natural Glow makeup (known for the catchphrase "thousands of luminous spheres"), the Massage Pillow and the Suzanne Clip.[9]
In April 2004, she opened Rawaka Māori Village, a tourist centre in Auckland, which she described as "cabaret meets kapa haka".[10] The Rotorua Daily Post said the venture was shunned by some Māori who described it as "tiki tacky and culturally questionable".[11] The venture closed in July 2004 and was put into voluntary liquidation, owning more than $1 million. A year later, Paul was declared bankrupt. She vowed to pay back her debts and sought early discharge from bankruptcy.[12]
In 2007, Paul won Dancing with the Stars with dance partner Stefano Olivier,[4] despite breaking a rib in the final.[13]
In 1994, she released a dance music single, "Blue Monkey".[14] In 2010, under the name Suzy P, she featured in a duet called "Stranger Danger" with rapper Scribe.[15]
In September 2008, Paul published a memoir titled But Wait, There's More.[16] In August 2009, she launched her own clothing range, Suzanne Paul Petites sizes 8 to 16, for women 5 ft 4 inches and under, and the Short & Sweet range in sizes 6 to 18.
From July to August 2010, Paul had a starring role in the stage show, Stepping Out, by Richard Harris.[17] In 2011, Suzanne appeared in the stage show Dirty Dusting.[18]
In 2022, online news website The Spinoff described her as "New Zealand's undisputed infomercial queen" who "has a knack for reinventing herself and popping up where we least expect her to".[3]
Personal life
Paul has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Dean Kilworth,[20] whom she met when she was 40. Their marriage failed in part due to the stress of unsuccessful IVF treatments.[21] In 2005, she married Duncan Wilson. They divorced in 2016 due to Wilson's struggle with Asperger syndrome.[22] In March 2020, she became engaged to drummer Patrick Kuhtze. He had also been married twice before.[23] The wedding was planned for October 2021,[24] but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[25] They got married on 30 October 2022.[20]
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