Jaws drop and hopes sag as sober pundit goes under surgeon's knife

THE PHENOMENON OF style over substance in America's famously plastic world of television has taken a new turn over the last week in the wake of the facial surgery undergone by CNN star Greta Van Susteren.

Van Susteren, a feared litigator before she joined the growing ranks of television pundits, has always been respected for her stridency and intelligence.

Her long blonde locks often uncombed, her lived-in face often free of make-up, she was no one's bimbo and boasted a distinct 'everywoman' quality.

Now, the 47-year-old is having to defend herself against charges that she has 'sold out' with a dramatic eye-lift that has accompanied her shift from CNN to its rising rival, Fox.

'I did it on a whim,' she said of the decision she took during a month-long break before starting her new job. 'I looked at myself and thought: God, how did I get to be 47?'

Her comments have generated a debate that has attracted considerable attention. Her case is something of a novelty, given that the subject is often alluded to but rarely discussed. Few cosmetic surgery veterans admit to it, yet any gathering of female celebrities of a certain age inevitably includes some rather stretched faces.

Some, remarkably, have praised Van Susteren for her candour in publicly acknowledging a subject long taboo among American women - and among a fair number of men, too. But when you look at the results, it is hard to see how she could have avoided admitting it. She looks like an entirely different woman.