Acclaimed actress Gillian Anderson takes on surprise new role and says 'I'm here to help'
The Crown star Gillian Anderson has taken on a surprise new job - and she's revealed the one thing that can 'genuinely boost confidence'.
The talented American actress, 57, who made her name in shows from sci-fi favourite The X Files to Sex Education, is pivoting away from the camera for her latest project.
She's more used to playing hard-nosed detectives or famous women, but on Tuesday morning, M&Sannounced Gillian as its first ever Chief Compliment Officer (CCO), a new role created as part of the brand's latest campaign celebrating the power of compliments, and the joy of fashion.
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As CCO, Gillian, who has called London home for many years, will champion affirmation, positivity and connection.
The mum-of-three said: "A simple compliment can genuinely boost confidence and change how someone feels all day, so as Chief Compliments Officer, I'm here to help make those moments more commonplace.
"Having spent my career playing women in positions of power, complexity and contradiction, I've become very deliberate about how I dress so when someone pays me a compliment it means a lot.
"Not necessarily because it's about how I look but because I dress in a way that feels honest to who I am and when someone recognises that, it is affirming.
"Hearing something genuinely nice, especially about what you're wearing, can change the way you carry yourself, whether you're on a red carpet or doing the school run. And that boost shouldn't be rare."
The campaign kicks off on 10 March, with the official announcement of Gillian's new role on LinkedIn and Instagram, followed by the launch of the Spring 26' collection on 11 March, the ad featuring Gillian on her first day in her new role, giving style compliments to women wearing the designs, set to the track of Oh Yeah by Yello.
The appointment comes as new research reveals that 62% of people feel instantly happier when they receive a compliment, showing that a little act of kindness goes a long way - yet 8% say they never receive one at all.
What began as a social series last year, celebrating small but powerful affirmations has now evolved Love That into a wider campaign encouraging a nation often hesitant to give or receive compliments to embrace the small, joyful moments that come from noticing and appreciating others.
Elsewhere, its star Gillian recently admitted, in the latest instalment ofL'Oreal's series Lessons of Worth to mark International Women's Day that at 57, she has 'never felt more alive in my skin, clear-headed, purposeful, free of self-judgment'.
Reflecting on ageing in the video she said, "Embrace it, admire it, celebrate it, respect it, because even if you think I'm easy to dismiss as an angry, menopausal feminist, the fact is I have never felt better.
"In truth, I feel like I have gained - not lost - gained. Gained perspective, confidence, wisdom and definitely, if not more than ever, the desire to say f*** off.'
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