Cover girls from top: Ann Dowley Spillane, Florence Harrison, Mairead O’Farrell, Nessa Cotter, Sandra Murphy, Theresa Tierney Bugler, Madeline Leggett, Katie O’Reilly and Fiona Murphy.

WE’VE GOT IT COVERED…
IT WAS only when a client jokingly wolf-whistled Florence Harrison at her place of work before tossing a copy of the Evening Echo her way that the
fashion enthusiast discovered her photo  had made the cover of WOW!
“Most of the clients in Penny Dinners — a caring organisation that distributes meals to the needy in Cork —  are male so they’re not the type of people one would
associate with the WOW! section of the Echo,” she laughs. “In that
respect it was strange to think that they were the first to spot it.”
This was just one of the anecdotes exchanged at the Echo cover girl tea party held at the Radisson Blu in Little Island. Florence attended, along with eight other guests who
enlightened us on how they made the cover of the WOW! and other Echo supplements.
“The WOW! section does not identify any particular pattern in that it depicts a wide spectrum of beauty and not just the type
portrayed by models.  I think that’s what makes it so endearing.”
Mum-to-be Theresa also has fond memories of posing for the WOW! cover; albeit for entirely different reasons.
“My  WOW! cover is special to me for a number of reasons. When I look at it I don’t just see a photograph but moreover the journey I took to bring me to that point. The article was written in relation to a psoriasis fashion show I organised with Lisa O’Connor. who also suffers from the skin condition.
“I’ve had it for as long as I can remember and for a significant period in my life it manifested itself so aggressively that I couldn’t wear short sleeves. Posing with my arms exposed was the pinnacle for me. It was my way of saying  ‘I’m not hiding away anymore’.”
“I was a little embarrassed when I saw my cover shot but the amount of support I got was overwhelming. My inbox was full to the brim with emails from fellow psoriasis
sufferers expressing their delight at seeing a person with a skin
condition grace the cover of WOW! I was honoured to be viewed as an ambassador for the cause.
The same women later appeared in a piece alongside Edelle Notte and Kelly Buckley, who many deem to be the most controversial cover girls yet, on account of their ambition to make it as Page 3 girls. Anita and Mairead took part in the debate where they were vociferously opposed to the Echo supporting Page 3 models. In that particular instance, it was Edelle and Kelly who made the cover but Mairead was more Than happy to share the limelight with the pair.“I admire Kelly a lot even if I don’t agree with her views about having a Page 3 girl in the Echo,” insists Mairead. “Her duality of beauty and intellect is difficult to come by and I believe these qualities combined will serve her very well in the future.”
Sandra Murphy, formerly of The Apprentice, says her cover adorns the opening page of her scrap book where she stores memories of her time on the show. She adds: “After coming from a highly stressful
environment, it was great to have a chance to take part in such a fun shoot. I suppose being surrounded by a swarm of male models helped matters as well!”
Anne Dowling, founder of The Girls Club,  a cancer support group in Cork,  concludes: “Being on the cover was invaluable publicity for the charity. We can’t begin to
express our appreciation to the Echo for all they have done for us this past year.”