It’s Christmas time in Marbella and Jo Alexandrou is sparing no expense. As well as flying the turkey over from Marks & Spencer in the UK, Jo and daughter Grace decided to take a trip to New York to do their Christmas shopping. Just one problem – Jo ended up spending £3,000 on herself and only a few left over dollars on presents for her nephews at the airport!

Lisa and Joe Johnson are also not doing their Christmas shopping on Spanish soil. They’re off to Gibraltar – dragging Lisa’s mum and dad, whom Joe affectionately refers to as “the rottweiler and the greyhound”, with them. Joe teases:

“We’ve got a lead for them so we can drag them round Gibraltar.”

Lisa’s mum and dad take this in good humour, both parents even attempting a bark! Read more & comment »

Programme four opens with Lisa preparing to sell off the excess stock from a previous failed business venture, a children’s clothes shop.

Although most of the preparation is left to Lisa’s husband Joe while she gets her hair done, Lisa seems in her element when it comes to sales time.

She explains that this is because her father had a street stall for which she worked before later opening a stall herself:

“I started off with about forty quid” Lisa tells the interviewer, “and I got all my rings of paper, I used to earn bundles doin’ that, and men’s pants!” Read more & comment »

Programme three follows Lisa Johnson and her husband Joe on a trip to Milan to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Going along with Lisa and Joe is their youngest son, Blue, and on this occasion they have opted to leave the nanny at home. On the way to the airport they practice their Italian.

“Chara bella” ventures Lisa “nah that ain’t right”. “Ben missimo?” attempts Joe before settling on the Spanish “Gracias”.

Back in Marbella, café owner Barbs talks about her desire for a companion then complains to fellow belle, Louise Marriot, that she is finished with men altogether.

“I’ve gone off men. I’m going to go gay and join a nunnery!” Read more & comment »

In second episode of the series, lady of leisure Lisa Johnson goes to Louise Marriott’s ‘Posh’ Nail bar to get glammed up. She gets her eyebrows dyed by Louise and then has a spray tan that leaves her looking a darker shade of brown than she wanted.

“I look like I’ve been down the coal mine. Look, look at the face, it’s black!”, Lisa says.

Leaving Posh Nails the programme meets a fourth ‘belle’, Louise Truelove. Louise works at a local plastic surgery clinic, Mills & Mills, where she spends her days helping people improve their bodies more permanently. In Marbella, plastic is big business. Louise explains:

“Ten years ago people were getting their hair cut, now everyone’s getting their boobs done, facelifts and brow lifts and eyes because they want to feel confident.” Read more & comment »

They’re bold, bronzed and bleached to their roots. Meet five British women who’ve turned their backs on the UK for the sun-kissed stretches of the Costa del Sol.

Marbella Belles – a new six part documentary series for ITV1 with narration from Dennis Waterman – gives a glimpse of life in that little bit of Spain that will be forever England.

All five women have different lives, but share one thing in common. They have escaped the high streets of Essex, London and Leeds to re-establish themselves along the rich golden mile in luxury resorts Marbella and Puerto Banus.

Among them is lady of leisure, Lisa Johnson, who has a one-year-old boy called Blue. Retirement has come early for the high maintenance Essex girl thanks to her husband’s hefty bank balance and round the clock help from maid, Lin-Lin. Lin-Lin sees to the less glamorous aspects of motherhood like changing Blue’s nappy and feeding him while 38–year–old Lisa keeps up to speed with her rigourous beauty schedule. Read more & comment »