Cherie's Richard & Judy date!

Cherie Blair is to give her first solo TV interview . . . on the Richard and Judy show.

She has been persuaded to appear on the Channel 4 chat programme in September to publicise her book about Downing Street spouses.

The Prime Minister's wife has undergone training to prepare her for the appearance. Her only other foray into live television - a statement on the Cheriegate affair in 2002 - was widely ridiculed as a ploy for public sympathy after she pleaded: 'I'm not superwoman.'

It is understood she was hesitant about the Richard and Judy idea, but was swayed by Martha Greene, the American restaurateur which new novels were reviewed by celebrity guests, with an astonishing impact on sales. who has become one of her closest friends. 'She's quite nervous about it and has been asking lots of people for advice as to what she should do,' said a source close to Mrs Blair.

One, Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor, saw sales multiply by more than 20, catapulting it from obscurity to the top of the bestsellers' list.

Virtually all of the other books featured on the show have benefited from spectacular sales increases.

The Goldfish Bowl has been co-authored by social historian Cate Haste, wife of Labour peer Lord Bragg, but she will not join Mrs Blair on Richard and Judy.

The Premier's wife has already given an interview to the American magazine Harper's Bazaar, which will be published next month, to help plug her book in the U.S., seen by her publishers as potentially her biggest market.

Martha Greene played a key role in setting up both the magazine interview and the TV appearance, illustrating an increasing influence in the life of Mrs Blair since her lifestyle guru Carole Caplin was banned from Downing Street following a welter of negative publicity.

One source said: 'Martha is quietly becoming Cherie's unofficial image consultant. She regards herself as an expert on how to sell someone, because of the success of her business, and she has been counselling both Cherie and Tony on how to make the most of themselves when Tony finally leaves office.'

The Blairs are said to be keen to maximise their earning potential once they leave Number 10 and remain bitter about the fact that they missed out on a huge financial windfall by getting rid of their previous home in Islington, North London, when Mr Blair became Prime Minister.

The house, which they sold for £615,000, was recently put on the market for £1.69million. Although Richard and Judy's teatime show lacks the gravitas of Newsnight or Panorama, previous guests have included such leading political figures as Hillary Clinton, while her husband, the former U.S. president Bill Clinton, a close friend of the Blairs, recently agreed to go on the show when he is next in the UK. `