The Scottish Government’s first female presiding officer has thanked a Dundee make-up artist who helped her look well during treatment for bowel cancer.
Tricia Marwick, who served as presiding officer at Hollyrood for five years before standing down last May, thanked Meredith Scott Makeup in a Facebook post for “transforming her” for an important portrait photo weeks after undergoing an operation for cancer.
Ms Marwick was due to have her official portrait taken by esteemed photographer Harry Benson, and had even considered cancelling the shoot because she felt she looked unwell.
Meredith Scott, who runs her business in a part-time capacity, was called upon to apply the makeup for what Tricia called the “most important photograph of my life”.
Tricia said: “The famous photographer Harry Benson was coming to Edinburgh to take the official Presiding Officer photograph, as he had for all the previous presiding officers.
“However I had just been operated on for bowel cancer a few weeks before. I had lost two stone and looked very ill.
“Knowing this photograph would be the defining image of me as Presiding Officer and that it would be hung up in the Scottish Parliament for all to see it was important that I looked good.
“At that point no one apart from my immediate family knew just how ill I was. At one point I did think about cancelling the photo shoot but it had been arranged for months and Harry Benson might not have been available again.
“I phoned Merry and asked her to come and do my makeup for the photo shoot. And what a job she did. She transformed me from a patient to the presiding officer.
“I defy anyone to look at the photograph and not see someone healthy and glowing. Merry, you made me look lovely and, more than that, you gave me the confidence to have the most important photograph of my life taken.”
Meredith Scott said: “The night before the photo was due to be taken, someone got in touch to ask if I would be able to do the makeup for Tricia.
“At the time, I didn’t know she was unwell. For me, makeup is about making people feel confident. It isn’t a mask, it enhances how people look.
“I was incredibly happy to be asked to do it, I love my job and I love being able to make people feel happy about themselves.”
