'MY GLITZY HOUSE IS SO CAMP!'

She may have been born in Liverpool and found fame in Mersey soap Brookside, but Claire Sweeney's bijou London townhouse screams Hollywood, with its glitzy silver wallpaper, ornate chandeliers and beautiful objets d'art.

Limited-edition black and white prints of iconic stars Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner line the wall to her basement, and the bookshelves in her living room are stacked with celebrity autobiographies. "I'm fascinated by '40s and '50s Hollywood and those legendary actresses," says the Loose Women star, 38, who owns five other properties, including two in Majorca and Turkey. "Back then, those women were so elegant."

Claire's guests love her glamorous home, too. She explains: "It's a pretty camp house. My dining room is black and gold and all my gay friends love coming over."

As soon as she stepped into the four-bedroom property in Pimlico three years ago, Claire knew it was perfect. Then, with help from her friend and then co-star on ITV1's 60 Minute Makeover, Derek Taylor, she refurbished it to her taste.

Claire, who split with her last boyfriend, businessman Tony Hibbard, two years ago, enjoys being home alone. After a hard day's work or a night out with the girls, she loves nothing more than curling up on one of her sofas to listen to music or watch TV. But there is one problem - she keeps falling off her grey couch. "It slopes downwards and is really hard to get comfortable on. I have to put cushions underneath for it to stay level. It can be awkward when guests sit down on it and end up on the floor," she says, "But it is very funny!"

In main photo:

LAMP: "I got this at The Green Apple Company. It's an art deco design and is gorgeous."

PAINTING: "I love the colours in this. It cost about £3,000 and I bought it two years ago at an exhibition in Cuba. It's by the late actor Anthony Quinn, who worked with Picasso."

GOLD DISC: "My album Claire went Top 20 in the charts in 2002 and someone gave me this gold disc as a gift last Christmas."

SMOKING PIPE: "I bought this in Morocco and love burning apple tobacco because of the aroma it gives off."

FOUR FUNKY BUYS

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Mirror, £34.98, B&Q (0845 609 6688), cushion, £5.99, Tu at Sainsbury's (0800 636262), vases, £25 for set of three, Next (0844 844 8911), lampshade, £40, Hunkydory Home (0191 645 4004)

Claire's Tips: Scented candles create atmosphere in a room. Supermarkets do great ones, but if you really want to blow the budget, Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir (£37.50) smells fabulous. If you use a neutral colour, contrast it with a splash of bright wallpaper on one wall.

Compiled by: Sally Gillam photography: Amit Lennon hair & make-up: Caroline Piasecki Claire is supporting Kodak's campaign against rip-off printer ink prices. visit printandprosper.com to calculate how much you could save with a Kodak all-in-one printer

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