New Idea - July 28, 2007

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BOOT CAMP
With a bit of help from Jennifer Hansen, your boots will stand up and be noticed

Former newsreader Jennifer Hansen is making headlines again, this time for being Australia's newest supermum entrepreneur.

When Network Ten dumped the Victorian news anchor in January 2006, the 2o-year veteran could have been forgiven for putting her feet up and enjoying a rest from the deadline-driven lifestyle imposed by reading the news every day. Instead, Jennifer threw herself into a savvy business idea she'd been contemplating for years.

The self-confessed shoe addict had lamented the sorry sight of her favourite boots crushed at the bottom of her wardrobe. So when she couldn't find a product to help keep her collection in shape, she decided to make the product herself. Jennifer has now launched cone-shaped boot inserts under the name Booty-Up.

'I'm a shoe addict and I'm obsessive about keeping my wardrobe organised,' she says. 'I like being able to see everything and grab: things quickly, and I hated it when my boots were all squashed up., I found that stuffing them with paper can push boots out of shape and letting them droop creates creases, which ruins them. So I needed something inexpensive to keep my boots in shape, to stop my boot droop.'

The business is a real family affair. In between rehearsals, learning scripts and his own hectic schedule, Jennifer's husband Alan Fletcher, who's plays the popular Dr Karl Kennedy on Neighbours, helps Jennifer pack boxes, prepare deliveries and polish the inserts to perfection. The couple's children, Veronica and Tom, also help their mum out.

The range is stocked by Wittner and David Jones and retails for $24.95.

And the future certainly looks bright for Jennifer, with plans to launch in the UK.