Michelle runs the Trendy Monkeys beauty salon in Essex.
She features in Sky Living's documentary Pamper Parlour Mums, part of the Pushy & Proud season.
We spoke to Michelle to get her side of the story...
What can we expect to see on the programme?
When Sky approached me to do this series it was literally at the very opening of my shop and that's when all the media stuff was kicking off.
Me being me, I'd put every last penny I had into it, I was a single mum, I wanted to fight my cause. So I'm quite lively in the programme because I'm being attacked 24/7, and my first form of defense is attack - always has been - so that's what you get, a lot of me arguing with people and just trying to keep myself together really because it was so stressful.
When did the salon open?
It's been open three months now. Sky started filming within the first few weeks of it being open, so they got to see all the raw problems that we had in the beginning. I'm obviously finding my feet and, I mean, it's hard enough opening a new business but then with all this media stuff going on, it just went crazy for a little while.
Have things calmed down a bit now?
Yes but everyone that comes into my salon still always says, you know, that this place has had such bad press and that - but it's nothing like they said it was in the papers. A lot of things have changed now - we've changed a few things, we've updated a few things, but nothing too drastic. So I'm just hoping that my message is getting through.
How do you justify your business in the face of such criticism?
All those people that think it's inappropriate, all the people who've written bad things and even sent hate mail and all that stuff, they haven't got a Scooby-Doo what's going on. Everything I've been accused of, it's all a load of rubbish.
Like, for example, we had a Princess Party in yesterday and it's loads of fun - it's all glitter and sparkles and it's not actually any real beauty treatments. It's just a bit of fun. We also play musical statues and have loads of party food and balloons and things like that. Some people who put an opinion in about my salon have never come here or even looked at the website, so I really haven't got any time for them because we don't actually do anything wrong.
What sort of treatments do you do?
We do mini-manis, mini-pedis, a fruit smoothie facial, which is just fun - it doesn't do anything to the skin, we blend strawberries and bananas in front of them and then we put it on their faces with the slices of cucumber over their eyes and they just look really cute, they've got the pink dressing gowns on, it's just a picture-perfect moment. That's what they always say to me, " Can we have the cucumbers on our eyes?"
Yesterday we had a little girl in and she had purple nail varnish with gold glitter on one finger, the second one was green with a jewel on it - every single one of her fingers was different, had different bling on it. They looked, well, ridiculous, really. I mean, it's not something that I'd have done, but to them it’s just fun. They don't take it seriously.
How old are the girls who come to you?
All different ages - yesterday we had an eight-year-old's birthday party in, but then her little cousin came along and she was only two-and-a-half and she was just pottering around. She wasn't taking part, but even she wanted her nails done. She loved it. So it all differs.
Do you get good feedback from the parents who know what you're about and understand what you do?
Yeah, I get some really nice feedback. You know, I think that through all of this the few ignorant people have been, in my eyes, outweighed by all the positives. I've had some lovely messages and emails saying they think the media response has been terrible - and it has, in a way, because the nation has bullied me really. If you look at what I'm doing, it isn't actually that bad. As soon as anyone comes into the salon, not one person walks out with a negative attitude. They all say: "Oh my god, I can't believe it, it's nothing like what we thought it was going to be."
Have you got any regrets?
It's been such hard work, so intense - but no, I don't think I do have any regrets. I still believe in my business. I still believe there's a market for it and I still believe that once people know exactly what we're about they're going to love it.
If you could sum up your motto for life in one sentence, what would it be?
Bruised but never broken. What I mean is, they can knock me down but I won't stay down, something like that - I can take it. This has probably been the weirdest few months of my life but I've managed to get through it and I'm a lot stronger for it, I think.
By Karen Cowell
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