Christina Hendricks: Designers won't give me dresses for award shows because I'm a size 14

IT'S been a Hollywood perk for decades. For Tinseltown's most glamorous events - the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys - actresses are given amazing frocks to wear by high-profile designers keen for the free publicity.


But stunning Mad Men star Christina Hendricks, who was voted Sexiest Woman Alive by female readers of Esquire and called the perfect physical role model by equalities minister Lynne Featherstone, claims she still finds it hard to borrow a designer dress.

She revealed: "People have been saying some nice, wonderful things about me. Yet not one designer in town will loan me a dress.


She added: "This has always been my size. I've worked on other shows with this same size but Mad Men celebrates it and that is nice."

Playing voluptuous secretary Joan Holloway on the telly show, which chronicles the sexual antics of staff in a Sixties advertising agency, Christina has helped to make the hourglass figure acceptable again.

But she has spoken in the past of how unheard of it is for a female star of her size - a 14 - to be swamped with offers from designers.

It seems Hollywood and the world of fashion are still playing catch-up with what is regarded as acceptable.

At the beginning of the year, Christina was at the centre of a storm after she wore a ruffle dress to the Golden Globes.

Fashion critic Cathy Horyn's stinging comment was: "You don't put a big girl in a big dress."

The 5ft 8in actress, whose measurements are 39D-30-39, has been named in the same breath as some of Hollywood's sexiest ever ladies, including Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren and Scarlett Johansson.

And many believe Christina - rather than skinny stars such as Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham - is the embodiment of how young women should look.

Featherstone, who argues that thin models are causing a crisis in "body confidence" among the young, has said Christina is the woman to emulate.

The Lib Dem MP said: "Christina Hendricks is absolutely fabulous. We need more of these role models."

If not the world's best-known designers, at least the advertising world is waking up to Christina, who has become the new face of US trench coat brand London Fog.

But has she ever had pressure from Hollywood studios to change? Surprisingly, the naturally blonde actress, who has been dyeing her hair since she was 10, admitted: "No, I haven't.

"In fact, the series I was on before was called Kevin Hill. At one point, just from going through a break-up, I was down and losing some weight without even knowing it.

"Taye Diggs (the Private Practice actor) came up to me and was like, 'What are you doing? Stop. Just stop whatever it is you are doing.'

"People have always been complimentary - and now I get even more compliments thanks to Mad Men."

That doesn't mean life on set is always easy, because Christina admits it can be a battle squeezing into some of her character Joan's tighter, figure-hugging garments.

She revealed: "I have this little war wound - a blister from wearing a garter the other day for 17 hours.

"Those undergarments really aren't made for relaxing.

"If I get my entire costume on, and I have to wait a few hours for my next scene, I have to learn how to position myself, otherwise the boning presses into my guts! It can really hurt those internal organs."

Christina, whose dad was British, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho. She started her career as a model in her teens before moving on to acting in various telly shows, including playing Joyce Westlake in ER.

But it was landing the role in Mad Men three years ago that turned her into a star.

Fans have made Christina the face of the show because of her character's sexy, bed-hopping antics. But why do men love Joan? She said: "I think men in the office like Joan for several reasons.

"One, I think she is very good at what she does and she keeps their schedules running smoothly and their affairs hidden from their wives - and teaches the young girls how to do that for them.

"I also think that she is sexual, and she is bold about it and they love that.

"I think she can be one of the guys in that they can tease her and say very sexual things to her. Instead of her being victimised and crushed and hiding in the corner, she will snap back with a zinger."

So does Christina, who is married to actor Geoffrey Arend, have the same traits as Joan? "I think so," she said. "I think the guys in this cast would say that I'm one of them. I joke around and play in that same way. But I would like to think that I'm not so bossy."

While she'd like the shape of the bras to be the same now as they were in the Sixties, Christina is happy to be living in this day and age.

She explained: "The nice thing now is that if we want to dress like that we can.

"If I put one of those outfits on and walked down the street, no one would think I looked crazy.

"But we also have the opportunity to throw on our flip-flops and jeans and look super comfortable, so I think we have the best of both worlds right now."

The fourth series of Mad Men, which is shown on BBC Four, starts in two weeks. It sees Don Draper (Jon Hamm) teaming up with Roger Sterling, Bertram Cooper and Lane Pryce to set up a new advertising agency.

The show has 17 nominations - the most for a drama series - for this year's Emmy Awards, which take place on Sunday. So why is it so popular? Christina said: "I think it's filling the void left by slightly shocking, intelligent shows like Six Feet Under and The Sopranos.

"It also has an element of fantasy, because it's not a place that you can go visit. But everyone has a story from the time, whether it's about their mother or grandmother or father.

"So many people come up and go, 'My father had that haircut, and I remember my mum coming home and making us sandwiches with a cigarette in her mouth.'

"It's far enough away to seem and look like fantasy but everyone is still relating to it."