Denise makes a difference ‘EVERYONE NEEDS A JO!’
Thirteen years ago, an unlikely friendship was started between WORLD fashion designer Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet and Jo Lynskey, an award-winning artist.
The pair met when Denise was judging the IHC Art Awards and Jo had won the People’s Choice Award for her amazing sculpture of a ginger cat.
“Jo’s first words to me were, ‘Hi, you’re famous, can I work for you?’” laughs Denise.
“I said, ‘What’s your name?’ and she said, ‘I’m Joanna.’ I said, ‘What do you like doing, Joanna?’ and she said, ‘Vacuuming!’”
While Denise, 62, shares this anecdote Jo, 50, who was born with a learning disability, is laughing her head off, delighted at this history between the two friends. She says that a year later at the next IHC Art Awards, she went up to Denise again.
“I asked her if she’d found me a job yet,” recalls Jo.
That prompted Denise to talk to her staff at WORLD because if Jo came
