Former Linslade Cedars pupil will star in BBC One's Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr

A former Linslade Cedars pupil from Eaton Bray is starring in BBC One's Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr, as she takes on a challenge to win a life-changing contract.

Molly Coath, 24, is taking part in the TV competition, presented by the comedian, which will see ten contestants battle it out to win a high flying job with a luxury hotel in Cornwall.

Each week the competitors will face a new interior design challenge, and in episode one, Molly will be styling an apartment in Manchester.

Talking to the LBO about her TV experience, Molly said: "It was magical, beautiful, wonderful.

"It was very daunting going on TV and I had never met any of the people before - it was all high intensity, go, go, go!"

Molly landed her "dream" job as an interior designer aged just 18, but this came crashing down during the pandemic when the company she worked for went bust.

She found herself stamping invoices, which was "so not me" when people started messaging her about the show.

Molly said: "I thought I'd apply and give it a bash, but I never thought in a million years that I'd get in - or that I'd ever be on the telly.

"It's an amazing opportunity to have."

In episode one, Molly is paired with a fellow contestant in order to take on the apartment challenge, in which they work on a study, living room and bedroom.

The property is a show home and the pair had to work to a brief before facing the judges - one designer is eliminated each week!

Molly said: "You go on a journey, bond with the other contestants - we were all like a family.

"And the amount I picked up from the show; I learned from the other designers, judges - what I was doing right, what I was doing wrong.

"It changed me as a person. It was amazing."

Another highlight for Molly was meeting presenter and comedian, Alan Carr, who took over as presenter from Fearne Cotton in 2021.

Molly said: "He's so wonderful. Even when I met him I felt like I already knew him; he's exactly the same in real life as on TV.

"He's cosy, friendly, and hilarious. He's a great guy."

She laughed: "I was trying to attach a light and he said: 'It's like nailing a blancmange to a wall!'"

Molly's creative flair was inherited from her parents, Lisa Coath, "an exceptional drawer", and her father Peter Coath, an author.

In fact mum Lisa has even produced artwork for her interior designs.

Molly said: "Every since I was little my parents moved around quite a lot. My Mum is an incredible artist, a really eccentric person.

"I would come home from school and my Mum would be painting a wall, or clouds on the ceiling.

"Making your home a beautiful place is what I was brought up with."

Molly's family and friends are all very excited that the designer will be featured on TV, and she would like to thank all her chums, her parents, boyfriend David Berry, auntie Joanna Price and grandparents Doreen Price and Graham Price for their support.

She concluded: "I learned a lot practically but more generally I learned about myself as a person.

"I was the youngest in the competition and we all looked out for each other - they told me: 'Don't doubt yourself'.

"My tips for designers? Don't worry too much about rules or trends. Go with your heart!"

The new series of Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr starts at 9pm on March 9 (BBC One).

To find out more about Molly's work, visit: www.mocointerior.comInstagram: @molly.coath