Presenter Kaye Adams has revealed that her life mirrored that of Bridget Jones in her early years.
The Loose Women star is hosting a virtual evening with the book's author Helen Fielding to raise money for the Beatson Cancer Charity, which marks 25 years of the Chardonnay-swilling heroine.
From big pants to the endless calorie counting, Bridget struck a chord with women across the nation when she arrived in our lives in 1996.
And Kaye, 58, admits that she and Bridget often had parallel lives, even enduring her own version of Bridget's fireman's pole scene.
The BBC Radio Scotland host said: "When I came to STV one of the first jobs was covering a charity abseil down the side of the Doubletree Hilton in Glasgow's Cambridge Street.
"They wanted one of us to have a go and desperate to impress and keep my job, I naively volunteered. Big mistake.
"I stepped out with harness on and missed my footing. I closed like a pair of scissors so my bum was hanging down and my toes were touching my nose. It was terrifying.
"I had to be hoisted very inelegantly back up in full knowledge the photographers were taking pictures of my a***.
"Thongs were the fashion back then. I wish I had been wearing a pair of Bridget's big knickers. It would have been a lot more comfortable."
The comparisons and relatability didn't stop there.
She added: "We were the same age, both unlucky in love and both young women trying to establish ourselves as general news reporters and were getting sent out on all the silly stories no one else would touch.
"My first job was with Central Television and I was on a children's news programme. The star of the show was a big farty Irish wolfhound called Oscar.
"I got sent out on all sorts of ludicrous stories at the time so I was Bridget Jones. Like her, I felt like I would never be taken seriously."
The mum of two worried about her weight and admitted big pants were a factor in her life then too.
She said: "Like her, I kept a daily diary of my calorie intake although I drew the line at recording how much wine I had drunk and unlike her, I was not a smoker. I've also worn my fair share of big pants."
Kaye, currently in Channel 4's The Circle with Loose Women co-star Nadia Sawalha, has been with her tennis instructor partner Ian Campbell for more than 25 years.
She admits that it took a while to find her own Mr Darcy.
She said: "My love life was rocky throughout my 20s - I'm afraid I never had a Colin Firth or Hugh Grant.
"It was not a catalogue of disasters, just a long line of Mr Not Quite Rights. I did find Mr Right eventually."
Kaye is looking forward to hosting the Beatson Blether with Helen next Friday. She said: "I have never interviewed Helen before and it is a real coup for the Beatson to get her. I can't wait to ask if she has a book planned about a menopausal Bridget Jones, because that's the stage her and all her fans will be at now.
"It's going to be a spectacular night with a Rod Stewart tribute act and a prize draw. Beatson, like all charities, have been having a really hard time and need our help more than ever."
Joyce Ross, the charity's corporate partnership manager, said: "Since we had to cancel many of our events due to Covid-19, we wanted to find a fun way to fundraise whilst respecting the social distancing arrangements.
"Our events with Kaye proved ever so popular and we're thrilled that Helen will be joining us."
.For tickets, go to beatsonbletherwithhelenfieldingmarch2021.eventbrite.co.uk To donate, go to www.beatsoncancerharity.org/donate
