Stepping out of a bright-pink Bentley in front of Paris Hilton’s Beverly Hills mega-mansion, I instinctively check my sleek blonde bob.
Over my shoulder is a brand new Gucci handbag, my white T-shirt emblazoned with one of the hotel chain heiress’s famous slogans – ‘That’s hot’ – which I’ve bought specially for the occasion.
It’s New Year’s Eve, after all, and I’m here to party the night away with hordes of other glamorous revellers – and even newlywed Paris herself.
Only the truth is that I’m not really here at all – not in the way you might imagine.
I’m sitting in my kitchen 5,500 miles away in north London.
And the Paris World I’m visiting is entirely virtual, an internet-based creation that plays out only on my computer screen.
