But appearances can be deceptive and, behind the leather jacket and laidback attitude, Danny is twenty years sober and as solid as a rock. He’s also something of a computer genius and recently sold a couple of apps to a US software company, which netted him a small fortune and afforded him the kind of stunning home that you see on the cover of Architectural Digest. But, most importantly of all, he completely adores Naomi.

‘Wow, Liv, you look great,’ he says, turning to greet me. Despite living in London for decades, he’s kept his strong Geordie accent. ‘The countryside definitely suits you. Love the dress.’

‘Isn’t she a knockout?’ says Naomi.

‘A total babe,’ he grins, and I laugh and blush, because frankly Naomi is the knockout, in a red satin jumpsuit and killer heels.

But for the first time I don’t bash away their compliments with a joke or the justification of ‘What, this old thing?’ because I do feel like a bit of a babe. Moreover I haven’t felt anything remotely close to one in years.

Of course it’s all thanks to Maya. To be honest, I was a bit nervous when she suggested a makeover. I thought she might want to dress me up in something wacky or bold, or just not me, but instead she’d rifled through my wardrobe and chosen an old Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress that I’ve had for years. Made of emerald-green silk with capped sleeves, it has a silver thread running through it and clings in all the right places, but I never wear it as it shows too much cleavage, so I have to safety-pin it.

Which Maya had called completely bonkers. ‘You’ve got great boobs. Why are you apologizing for them?’ she’d scolded, hands on hips in my bedroom as I tried it on. ‘If I had such an amazing rack, I’d be showing it off!’ Moreover, when I suggested a cardigan instead of the safety pin, our roles were reversed and she turned teacher on me, fixing me with the sternest of looks. ‘If you’re going to wear that dress, wear it how it’s supposed to be worn, Liv.’

Suffice to say, I left the cardigan at home and threw away the safety pin. Being an English teacher, I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere, because she’s right: it looks so much better now. Funny how I was worried about her choosing something that wasn’t me, yet in the end it took someone else to see what was me all along.

The party soon gets into full swing as guests arrive and the room fills up. Naomi introduces me to lots of new people; plus we share mutual friends and former work colleagues, so there’s lots of hugging and kissing and catching up. I’d been slightly nervous about being back in London and seeing everyone again, and I have a bit of a wobble when I find myself on my own and having to talk to a group of strangers, but my unapologetic cleavage seems to be doing the trick at giving me more confidence. I should have asked Maya to help ages ago. Who knew that getting your boobs out was so much better than a brave face?