Peaches teaches

Q My boyfriend has a massive appetite and a fast metabolism. When I'm by myself I eat healthily, but when I'm with him all we eat is curry, McDonald's, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. He works it off, but I'm getting bigger and bigger. He won't eat healthy food and when I see him eating junk I can't control myself. The bikini season is coming up... Any suggestions?

A I had a boyfriend once who claimed to have never eaten a vegetable in his life. All he ever ate were beige foods – chicken nuggets, burgers, chips.

I found myself conforming to his mundane palate because it was easier. I tried once to casually introduce broccoli by hiding it on top of a pizza.

He took one bite and spat it out so dramatically you'd have assumed I'd covered it in arsenic. If your man refuses a healthier option, point out that even if he's working out and getting rid of any KFC-induced flab, his heart's probably a cholesterol goldmine, and he's denying his body the vitamins and minerals it needs to take him beyond 40 without resembling a crumpled paper bag.

If he responds by biting into a fried wing, find the willpower we all have (believe me, weaning myself off Pringles was once as far-off a dream as climbing Kilimanjaro) and have ready-made healthy meals in the fridge so you can reach for those instead of the fast food war zone before you.

Come bikini season, you'll be happier and he'll be wheezing along behind you on the beach clutching a Big Mac.

Q I love the way you dress and would like to wear things in a similar style to you. The trouble is, I just don't seem to be able to get it right. I end up looking as if I've had a run-in with a fancy-dress box.

I love the idea of prom-style dresses with chunky boots, or looking a bit (artfully) dishevelled, but when I try it, people ask me if I got dressed in the dark. How do you pull it off? And where can I begin? I'm a similar build to you and 5ft 4in tall. Help!

A There was a moment last week when I was surrounded by my friends, who all seem to have perfect, pristine capsule wardrobes (mine is a heap of weird Eighties and Nineties vintage with glimmering sequined capes and lurid miniskirts) and who were effortlessly put together in their sleek monochrome casuals.