I am tired of hearing people mocking Cherie Blair and her life coach Carole Caplin. I was extremely sceptical of such services - lifestyle gurus, life planners and the like - but in recent years I have changed my opinion.

Now I firmly believe every woman over the age of 35, particularly those with children, should have a Carole Caplin.

I know they're a bit weird and they don't come cheap, but perhaps grants could be made available so that we all could reap the benefits of such a figure.

But why, you may ask?

Because many women, like me, have, through no real fault of their own - but more than likely something to do with childbirth - lost their way in life.

We need all the help we can get in the same way that the Prime Minister's wife does. In fact we need more, because we have far less cash and far fewer helpful resources at our disposal.

We need guidance, we need advice, we need steering back on track, particularly in these vitally important areas:

Fashion: Styles that looked good in the past now look as flattering as bin bags. We've put on pounds in places that fashion designers ignore, we've got cellulite we don't want our husbands to notice and on the rare occasions we get asked to social events we throw every item in our wardrobe on to the bed and scream: "HELP! I'VE GOT NOTHING TO WEAR!"

So we go shopping but can't find any item of clothing that looks good and fits, and end up going home with a pair of tights and a half-eaten pastry. What's the solution?

Hair: Every day is a Bad Hair Day. It's dry and frizzy and it just doesn't behave as it used to. A decade ago a mere palm full of gel or mousse used to tame your locks into submission for the weekend. Now a whole bottle makes no difference at all. Going to the hairdressers doesn't help either. Basically it's £30 down the drain, because the look only lasts as long as the next wash. What do we do?

Diet and fitness: When it gets to the stage where you look into a shop window and spot the female version of Demis Roussos, you know it is time for drastic action. But if you haven't been in a gym since school, joining can be a daunting prospect. Even the cars in the car park look super-charged compared with your rickety old banger. Equally as daunting, is the local slimming class in a draughty Scout hut, with public weigh-ins and complex eating plans you haven't time to get your head around. What's the alternative?

Travel: Cherie may trot across the globe with her entourage but there is every bit as much planning required for a weekend with the kids in a caravan in Morecambe. Will it be wet, will we need wellies and cagouls, have we got the Calpol, do we need duvets? There are a million and one questions to be asked and answered - and surely it is better for someone else to answer them and come up with the goods.

We may laugh at Cherie, but I bet there are thousands of women who would love another person to put their life in order, make them look good and organise their domestic affairs.

I know I would.

Updated: 10:45 Monday, August 11, 2003