British schoolboy Robert Pattinson became Hollywood's hot new star alongside Kristen Stewart in Twilight

Dec 31 2008

 girl and introduce me as 'Claudia'! Twelve was a turning point as I moved to a mixed school - and then I discovered hair gel and became cool."

His legions of female fans seem perfectly happy, whatever he does. One of the many fanzine websites devoted to him is subtitled "ridiculously good-looking".

And, it seems, he's not even trying. On a recent chat show, Robert confessed to supermodel Heidi Klum that he never washes his tousled hair. Pushing back his fringe, he told her: "I don't have much of a sense of personal hygiene or styling or anything.

I gave up washing it a while back."

Robert is too smart to be stereotyped.

After gaining his heartthrob status in Harry Potter, he changed tack to play the troubled artist Salvador Dali in next year's raunchy Little Ashes.

He says: "I didn't want to get stuck in pretty, public school roles, or I knew I'd end up as some sort of caricature.

"Playing Dali has been a complete turning point for me. It's the first part I've had that has required really serious thought. I became completely obsessed with Dali during the filming, and I read every biography I could get hold of.

"He was the most bizarre, complex man, but in the end I felt I could