When you've tackled Margaret Thatcher's formidable perm, you can take any hairstyle in your stride. Celebrity stylist Andrew Collinge spoke to JENNY SCOTT. . .

ONE of his first jobs was the daunting task of shampooing the perfectly coiffed locks of the Iron Lady herself -- Margaret Thatcher.

Such an experience would be enough, you'd think, to put most people off hairdressing for life, but Andrew Collinge persevered to emerge as one of the biggest names in the business -- becoming a star of daytime TV and a stylist to the royal family in the process.

With his Salon Solutions haircare range now a big seller internationally, Andrew's career enables him to travel the world and he has just flown back to his native North West from watching a victorious England team in the rugby world cup final in Australia.

"Sydney was wild that night," he grins. "I was out in Australia doing a promotional tour for the product range for two weeks, so I went to a few of the games. It was an amazing experience. There was a lot of Pommy bashing, but in defeat the Aussies were incredibly generous.

"From the moment you arrived in the stadium, right through to Jonny Wilkinson's winning kick, the stadium was just a sea of arms."

Stereotypically, rugby players and hairdressers are worlds apart, but it turns out Andrew, 47, is quite an enthusiast of the game.

"I'm a great fan of the sport," he says. "I went to school in Ellesmere with Bill Beaumont and I used to play on the rugby team with him."

So was Andrew's transition from rugby pitch to hair salon born out of a wish to tame his teammates' tousled tresses? It would seem not.

"I don't think I would have gone into hairdressing if it hadn't been the family business," he claims.

"My grandfather was a ship's barber and my father, Peter Collinge, had a salon in Ormskirk. He founded the business in the '60s, at a time when Vidal Sassoon had just revolutionised hairdressing. Cut and blow drying was in and our salon was at the forefront. I started out, when I was 19, at my father's business, before I went to London to work for the Michaeljohn salon."

It was here Andrew had his encounter with the future Prime Minister.

"One of the first people I shampooed there was Mrs Thatcher, who was leader of the opposition at the time," he explains. "It was scary! The water had to be the right temperature and it all had to be done very quickly. She was very particular about her appearance, but she didn't like wasting time on it."

A more propitious meeting was the occasion Andrew styled the hair of his future wife, make-up artist Liz.

"We used to hold these practice nights at the salon and she was one of the people who came in to get their hair cut," he recalls. "I spent two hours cutting her hair and afterwards we went for a drink."

With so many opportunities to forward his career in London, it was a brave decision to move back up North, but that was just what Andrew did in the early '80s.

"I always gravitate back to my roots," he smiles. "I took over my father's business and started to see it expand.

"We've now got 10 salons in the North West, including one at Selfridges in the Trafford Centre.

"In 1993 we launched the product range and we opened a studio in Harrods, which gave us a presence in London."

And far from being cut off from the hub of the hairdressing industry, Andrew found himself gravitating more and more towards it.

"One of the big things was the hairdresser of the year awards," he says. "I was British hairdresser of the Year in 1993 and 1997 and had the opportunity to compete with the likes of Nicky Clarke and Charles Worthington."

Then, in 1988, Andrew got a phone call offering him the chance to become a household name to millions of daytime TV fans.

"Granada had won the contract to do a three month pilot, for what was then termed an adult education show, but which is now known as This Morning with Richard and Judy," he says. "Because it was based in Liverpool it just pulled in local people -- myself, Chris Steele, a local doctor, and Susan Brookes, a local cook -- and we all became regulars on the show.

"Liz was involved as well and we started doing makeovers. We did more than 500 makeovers during the nine years the programme was in Liverpool."

In 1997, with fewer big name guests prepared to make the journey up North, This Morning decided to move to London. But again the lure of the capital was not enough to entice Andrew and Liz away from their Wirral home.

"We tried commuting down there for about six months," explains Andrew, "but it rapidly lost its novelty."

However, by then Andrew's reputation was established.

"My career has opened up so many doors for me," he says. "I've got to meet royalty and world leaders. I styled the hair of Sophie Wessex on her wedding day and have looked after Zara and Peter Phillips' hair for about 15 years."

And it's not just royalty who entrust their image to Andrew.

"Atomic Kitten were brought to me by their management," he recalls. "We gave them their look at the beginning of their career and it was one of those styles that people began to emulate.

"I think good styles tend to evolve. Unless it's something like the Jennifer Aniston cut, that just bursts on to the scene, I think the secret of a good style is one that has evolved through different textures."

Andrew Collinge was in Blackburn to meet the Ribble Valley Ladies' Luncheon Club at Ewood Park. The event raised £5,500 for the CARE charity, which supports people with learning disabilities.