现年29岁，金发碧眼、有着甜美微笑的凯瑟琳•伯斯诺尔将在5月25日宣誓成为英国温莎市的市长，她将是英国历史上最年轻的市长。凯瑟琳表示自己当选并不是因为长相，而是她真的了解人们需要什么。在过去两年间，凯瑟琳一直担任温莎市副市长。她承认，一些人对她的成功冷嘲热讽。她当选副市长后，一些人在当地报纸上撰文说她太年轻，只因为长得漂亮才当选。但凯瑟琳认为，人们与她接触并有所了解后就会发现她乐于参与其中的热情和意愿。凯瑟琳和同为当地议员的丈夫被当地人戏称为“汤姆猫”，这一绰号常用来指代好莱坞明星汤姆•克鲁斯和妻子凯蒂•霍姆斯，但晚于丈夫进入政坛的她上升速度却要比丈夫快很多。在说到自己上任后人们对她的称呼，她表示并不想人们称呼她为Mayoress（市长夫人），因为这是对市长的太太的称呼，她也不愿意人们叫她Madam Mayor这样更正统的称呼，她还是希望人们管她叫“猫”。

At 29, Catherine Bursnall will be England's youngest mayor.

With her long glossy locks, model good looks and perfect smile, Catherine Bursnall is no doubt not a stranger to cruel “blonde” jokes.

But the 29-year-old is now having the last laugh – as she prepares to become England’s youngest mayor.

She will be working alongside her husband, Tom, who is also a local Conservative councilor. The pair have even been dubbed “Tom Cat” in reference to the nickname given to Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise.

However, Catherine reveals she has climbed the political ranks much quicker than Tom, 30, who joined the Young Conservatives at 16 and has been promoted to national chairman.

But she's keen to point out that she believes her three-year fast-track process to mayor, for which Catherine will be inaugurated on May 25, is down to merit rather than her appearance.

“It certainly helped that I was local,” said Catherine, who was brought up in Ascot by parents Terry, 59, and Elaine, 55 - both local government officials - and moved to nearby Eton with Tom before settling in neighboring Windsor.

“I knew there were certain things people wanted, such as more police on the streets, weekly bin collections, less noise from nightclubs and better parking, because I wanted them too.

“I didn't think I was that likely to win, but somehow on the night I got elected.”

However, Tom, a politics graduate who Catherine met when they were both students at the University of Warwick in 2001 and married at the Windsor Guildhall three years ago, is more blunt about his wife's triumph.

“They underestimated Catherine and probably thought she was a blonde bimbo,” he told the Sunday Express.

“Our friends mock us because I’ve been more political throughout my life, whereas Catherine’s only been in politics for two years and yet now she’s in higher office than me.”

Catherine agreed: “I’ve always been the one walking behind Tom, posting the leaflets through the doors but now it’s the other way round.”

The sociology and psychology graduate does admits that some local residents have been quite cynical about her success, which has also seen her carrying out the deputy mayor role for the past two years.

“When I was elected as deputy, a few people wrote into the local paper saying I was too young and only been picked because of my looks,” she said.

“On the whole though, when people get to know me they can see that I care and want to get involved.”

The couple, who run successful recruitment business, The Talent Pool Company, and are currently renovating their Grade II-listed 18th century Georgian home, have also appeared in an online poll of the country’s best-looking councilors.

However, Catherine will be taking a break from the company following her inauguration at the Windsor Guildhall as her role as mayor is a full-time job and will see her carrying 750 civic duties over the next 12 months.

The former pupil of Carters School in Sunningdale said she is keen for her people-focused political career to continue.

“Being a mayor is a more community-based role and less political, which is what I enjoy most,” she said.

“I won’t be called Mayoress because that’s the name for a mayor’s wife. You’re meant to be Mr Mayor but a lot of women ask to be Madam Mayor. I’d rather just be called Cat.”

However, Tom adds, for him, it’s nothing new, joking: “I’ve been calling her a ‘mare’ for years!”

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(Agencies)

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）