Would women really rather be thick and thin? A survey by tescodiets.com found that 95 per cent of women respondents put a slimmer figure ahead of intelligence when asked to list their priorities in life.

More than half put slenderness ahead of everything else, including the prospect of having no financial concerns, while almost a quarter claimed to be more concerned with their figure than their families. Some 29 per cent of women surveyed said their biggest dread was going to the dentist, but 40 per cent said their worst fear was having to try on clothes in a shop's communal fitting rooms.