Alpha females: The TV presenter

Gifted, driven and highly motivated, a new generation of talented young women are putting their names on the map. And whether they're strutting the catwalk or sailing the high seas, their sex is no bar to success - it's simply another weapon in their arsenal. Claire Grant profiles Britain's top 10 Young Alpha Females.

Cat Deeley, 25, fronts ITV's chart show CD:UK and is leader of the young TV presenter pack.

I'm very aware that I don't always get taken seriously, but you can break down preconceptions about being blonde and air-heady in five minutes flat. Looks are part of the package and I accept that. I believe in my world you can be as successful as a man. Sometimes you just have to shout a lot harder to be heard.

A lot of kids say, 'I just want to be famous.' I tell them you have to know what you want, be good at what you do and enjoy it. I was just a kid from Birmingham who did A-levels at grammar school. I thought I'd be a doctor or a dentist, but I won a modelling competition and came to London. I'd always thought about being a presenter, so I made a tape with my parents' video camera and sent it to MTV.

It's not luck. I had to work really hard to get my first shot at presenting. But oh God, I'm driven. It's a burn within me. I don't define success as money and fame, but being really good at your job. The money is a nice perk. My indulgence is holidays, first-class travel, top hotels and diamond jewellery. That is how it should be when you are in your twenties - at least that's what my mum says.

I don't think you should ever cut out love and live just through work. Should it all go belly-up, you have to have a support system. It's difficult to find a man who will be your support and I had to hunt to find mine. He's Mark Wheelan, a PR director. On a Friday night, I sit and learn lines and Mark cooks me dinner. When he has got something important on, I do the same. Men like strong, independent women, but it's nice to have your boyfriend, say: 'You're not superwoman, that's fine.'