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Magazine |
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Cheek
is in Meeting the
trio is quite an experience. First, there's the unnerving moment
when Gabriela and Monica slowly turn away from their photo shoot
to greet you with their matching feline stares. It's like being
regarded by two exotic, pampered pets. Then there's
their whippet slender and sunbed-tanned bodies in identical 'result
wear' of microskirts and tight tops. Finally, there's Margaret,
a vision in emerald eyeshadow and backcombed hair, with a high pitched,
heavily accented voice. Margaret has a plan for world domination
that would make her an ideal Bond villain. First was the Christmas
No. 1 spot, next is an album at Easter and then, who knows? Maybe
invade Europe with a big summer club anthem. The girls and
their mum also have an unassailable belief in their own talent.
Insults wash off them like water off a duck's back. The Model Behaviour
scouts trashed their 'slutty' look; they've been called The Freaky
Girls and their song has been dismissed as 'your worst nightmare
come true'. None of this matters. In fact, the way Margaret, Monica
and Gabriela tell it, none of it actually happened at all. All confusion
aside, what's crystal clear is that both Monica and Gabriela have
a burning desire to succeed in showbiz. Their ambition
started young and was honed over the years. Margaret first took
her daughters to gymnastic lessons when they were three and they
started ballet at the Hungarian Opera House aged five. Four years
later, they were accepted into its academy. The school,
just over the border from their home town, is prestigious and highly
competitive. Entry is tough - pupils who don't make the grade are
ruthlessly weeded out until only half the original intake remains
after nine years. The day starts at 7 a.m. with three hours of ballet,
followed by four or five hours of academic lessons, then training
in modern dance. The girls were also taught drama and learned about
modelling. Their day would end around 8 p.m. In 1994, Margaret
moved to England to be with her second husband Ray, whom she'd met
while he was working in Romania, leaving the twins in the care of
her elderly mother. Margaret admits to a fleeting worry about leaving
them thousands of miles away in a school that sounds as tough as
a boot camp, but quickly dismisses the thought. "They
came on holiday in the summer and we used to talk on the phone every
single day. Maybe I spoke more on the phone than I speak in real
life!" she trills, though that hardly seems possible. "They
were at school so long that if I'd been there, I would only have
seen them going to sleep. It didn't make too much difference." Surely the
girls were upset at being separated from their mother at such a
young age? They loved it, says Margaret emphatically. Wasn't Margaret
worried that the girls might be rejected? "Yes,
I did consider that it might happen to them, but they always were
in the top three in their class, so the chances were minimal,"
she laughs gaily. "I was not very worried because they were
too good. It was never in discussion." Well, not much.
"They had a few moments," concedes Margaret. "Not
disappointment, but a little bit of depression, put it that way,
when they were about 16, because they never had time for boyfriends
or to go to discos. I told them clearly: "If you like this
and you want to do it all your life, keep it up. If you quit now,
you'll lose all those years that you've done. We had a few discussions,
but they decided they wanted showbiz always." The girls left
Romania last September and settled with Margaret and Ray in the
pretty town of Rye, East Sussex. Margaret decided that they deserved
some time off after their years of slog, so the twins spent the
last year improving their English and getting to know about the
British culture. The girls'
image is carefully chosen by Margaret. It's raunchy, but Gabriela
reveals that her mum tells her off for wearing too much make-up.
And both girls are astounded that people don't believe they're virgins.
"It's true. We've never had time for boyfriends. We've been
on dates, but not seriously," says Gabriela. When asked who they fancy, the girls get bashful. Amid giggling, Monica announces that Hugh Grant is 'the perfect gentleman' and Gabriela confesses that she dreams about Keanu Reeves. (Now - UK) Hello
out there
To Adeel, Ishfak, Mahsan, Rifakath and Salamath, Dear Hassan,
Dear Sawani,
Dear Sana,
My darling Remoza (Mainee)
To sweet Angel Jel,
My soul Nowz, You need to
make a decision about our future. I trust and love you. To
my ever lasting and never changing star. |
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