To the rescue of a blonde in need - pity the brunette

It's said blondes have more fun, but they also seem to get more help.

We devised three tests to see whether the general public would come to the rescue of a blonde-in-need, while leaving her brown-haired equivalent to fend for herself.

Whether I was trying to hitch a ride, staring absent-mindedly into the bonnet of my car or struggling with a heavy load, the blonde version won every time.

After donning a brunette wig loaned by Hair Creations, I attracted little attention from pedestrians on Newmarket's Broadway - despite being laden with a stack of heavy boxes and having bags falling off my shoulders.

But once the wig was off, people were going out of their way to jump to my aid.

Hitchhiking yielded similar results.

The broken-down car scenario was less conclusive. Maybe those who passed by the brunette assumed she a) knew what she was doing or b) was smart enough to ask for help if she needed it.

The five people who offered assistance to the blonde probably just stereotyped me and assumed I was completely clueless.

But as Jo Cotton told me: "It's not the colour of your hair honey, it's how short your skirt is and how big your boobs are."