Emma Watson is the new face of the Chanel fragrance Coco Mademoiselle

As Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, she is used to dealing with all sorts of revolting potions.

But now Emma Watson is to be associated with a far more enchanting concoction - as the new face of the Chanel fragrance Coco Mademoiselle.

The 18-year-old actress has signed a two-year contract worth £3million with the French fashion house to promote the brand.
Harry Potter star Emma Watson is the new face of the Chanel fragrance Coco Mademoiselle

Miss Watson, who became a household name in the films based on JK Rowling's books, has signed up with leading model agency Storm, which is thought to have secured her first major campaign.

It is understood that she will replace Keira Knightley, 23, whose contract with Coco Mademoiselle ends this summer. Sources said Chanel is creating a new role for Miss Knightley who, in her latest advert, poses provocatively with just a bowler hat covering her modesty.

A source said Miss Watson's appointment will be announced next month. 'Emma has been excitedly telling friends that she is going to be taking over from Keira.

Emma has been slowly integrated into the Chanel brand.

They have been dressing her for film premieres and parties over recent months to see if she is the right fit.
Watson is to replace Keira Knightley, pictured in a Chanel ad

'Once it became clear she is growing into a beautiful young woman and wears the Chanel brand so elegantly, they had to sign her up. Chanel realises it is important to target a young audience.'

It is understood that Miss Watson's bosses at Warner Bros, which makes the Harry Potter films, have given their full backing to the deal.

As the face of Coco Mademoiselle, Miss Watson, who earns £2million a movie, follows in the footsteps of Kate Moss, who was signed up in 2003 but dropped the following year in favour of Miss Knightley.

A spokesman for Miss Watson last night declined to comment.

Emma Watson , Keira Knightley

From flying broomstick to scooter girl, how Hermione has grown up

Somebody's waved their magic wand and transformed Harry Potter's sidekick into a cool Fifties chick.

Emma Watson is seen here looking a world away from the most famous schoolgirl on the planet, Hermione Grainger, the heroine of the films based on JK Rowling's novels.

The 17-year-old actress loved the rockabilly-style wardrobe she wore for the photographs.
Magical: Emma Watson transformed from Harry Potter’s swotty sidekick into a Fifties siren

“I wish I could dress like this every day of my life,” she said.

She tells InStyle magazine of the highs and lows of fame.

“Recently a woman took my arm, looked at me very seriously and said, 'You're quite pretty in real life.' I didn't quite know how to take it.”

Watson, who has earned an estimated £10 million from the five Potter films, says she shuns stylists for red-carpet events.
Sophisticated: “I wish I could dress like this every day of my life,” the young starlet admitted

“Getting someone else to choose things takes the fun out of it,” she said.

When not working she splits her time between her mother's house in Oxford, and her father's in London.

She also has a busy social life.

“For the last three weekends I've been at an 18th birthday party,” she said.

Watson, who is currently juggling A-levels and driving lessons, will appear on BBC1 during the Christmas season in a new TV film, Ballet Shoes.

The teenager says she related to her character, Pauline Fossil, an orphan.

How it began: Emma in the first film in 2001

“She reminds me a lot of when I was younger,” she said. “I was such a drama queen.”

When she got the part she said on her website: “I could not let such an amazing project go. I loved Pauline from the start.”

Set in Thirties London, Ballet Shoes is the story of Pauline and her two sisters, who are adopted by an eccentric explorer, played by Richard Griffiths.

Watson took ballet lessons and dyed her hair whiteblonde for the film, which will be screened on 28 December.

Watson was voted Britain's greatest female role model in a magazine poll earlier this year, ahead of Keira Knightley and Kate Moss.
Emma features in the January edition of In Style magazine, which goes on sale on Thursday

She is due to start filming the sixth Potter film, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince on 18 December.

The January issue of In Style magazine is on sale on Thursday - to see behind the scenes on the photoshoot go to www.instyle.co.uk

Emma Watson

Emma Watson films her first role outside of Harry Potter...to play another schoolgirl

It seems as though Emma Watson is never out of school uniform.

The 17-year-old actress must be counting the days until Hermione Granger, her character in the Harry Potter films, abandons her tie and crisp white shirt.

So you would think the ankle socks and bunches she wears for her latest role might account for the disgruntled expression on Miss Watson's face.

Emma Watson, 17, dons a school uniform yet again for her role in the BBC drama Ballet Shoes

Far from it. Like many a young girl, she fell in love with Noel Streatfield's novel Ballet Shoes.

And she is thrilled to be playing the part of the orphaned Pauline Fossil in the BBC's adaption.

"I think the books are really special and could not let such an amazing project go. I loved Pauline from the start," she said on her website.

Emma stars opposite Victoria Wood as orphan Pauline Fossil in the adaptation of the children's book Ballet Shoes

The doleful expression on her face as she wandered around the set in navy frock coat and beret is thought to have been purely for the camera. She replaced it with a smile during breaks in filming.

The feature-length film, set in 1930s London, tells the story of Pauline and her two sisters, who are adopted by an eccentric explorer, played by Richard Griffiths.

To get into character, Miss Watson has taken ballet lessons and dyed her hair white blonde.

The young actress, who is still at school, has amassed a £10million fortune after appearing in the five Harry Potter films, based on JK Rowling's novels.

Last month she was unveiled as the cover girl for the magazine Tatler.

A make-up artist makes sure Emma is picture perfect for her close-up

The model agency Storm was quick to sign her up while Chanel is rumoured to be considering making her its new face.

Miss Watson's Potter co-stars have been considerably more successful at putting their schooldays behind them.

Daniel Radcliffe, 18, who plays Harry, and his sidekick Ron Weasley, played by 19-year-old Rupert Grint, have both given up their studies for acting.

Emilia Fox and Victoria Wood also appear in Ballet Shoes, to be sceen on BBC1 later this year. Screenwriter Heidi Thomas said: "Emma is a magical actress. We're thrilled to have her on board."

Despite being worth £10 million and one of the UK's most famous teenagers, the level-headed star harbours ambitions to study at Oxford University when she leaves school

Emma Watson

The boy who cast a spell on Hermione

Not so long ago Emma Watson was bemoaning her inability to find a boyfriend.

The 17-year-old actress feared her feisty portrayal of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films might have intimidated potential suitors.

But last week, Emma's fears seemed unfounded as she enjoyed a magical time on the French Riviera under the spell of handsome young rugby player Tom Ducker.

Magical time: Emma with Tom in Nice last week

The teenagers were spotted hanging out in nightclubs and eating lobster with £90 bottles of champagne in an expensive seafront restaurant.

Staff at their hotel, Chateau de la Chevre d'Or in Eze, near Nice – where suites with ocean views cost £385 a night – described Emma and Tom, who is also 17, as 'delightful guests'.

In the five years since the first Harry Potter film, Emma – like co-star Daniel Radcliffe – has accrued a fortune, estimated at £10 million.

But unlike Daniel, who insists he only buys things that cost about £10, such as books and DVDs, Emma appears much less prudent – at least when she is on holiday.

Hermione and Tom: looking slightly more than just friends

Emma signs an autograph on the red carpet at the latest Harry Potter premiere

While sipping Veuve Clicquot in the Castel Plage restaurant on the famous Promenade des Anglais near Nice's old town, she was taken by some artwork, worth about £15,000, that was hanging on the wall – and offered the owner cash for it.

The work, entitled "Je suis incognito ici, faites le savoir" (I'm incognito here, tell everybody) is by renowned Italian artist Ben Vautier.

"Emma fell in love with it and offered to buy it there and then," said owner Ali Abdelhafidh. "The words on the piece seemed to sum up her evening. But sadly it just wasn't for sale, so she posed for a photo next to the picture instead."

He added: "They arrived quietly at about 7.30pm and drank champagne and ate lobsters all night. They were clearly loving each other's company and said they were in a very romantic place, with the Mediterranean just in front of them and great music.

Emma relaxes off-screen with Tom Ducker (centre) and another girlfriend

Perhaps Hermione could teach Tom a thing or two about waistcoats

"They said they were having a wonderful holiday and did not leave until well after 2am. It was great to see a young couple so much in love but Emma had time for everyone else, too.

"A lot of celebrities come here, including Elton John and Bono, but having Emma here was something special. She's a real star in every sense of the word."

A fellow diner said: "They were knocking back the champagne and didn't stop laughing and joking. Emma was acting like a beautifully mannered young woman. Castel Plage is very sophisticated and the two of them looked in their element."

But back home in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, Tom's father John, 50, said: "They are just friends – don't read anything more into it than that. My wife and I have met Emma once or twice. She is a lovely young lady."

Emma in a recent pose for Tatler magazine

The actress with the £15,000 artwork she hoped to buy

Emma met Tom, who has signed for Wasps, in Oxford where she lives. Like her, he is an academic high-flier, scoring near-perfect grades in his GCSEs last year.

Although Emma's parents have set up a trust fund to bank her riches until she is 21, she receives a monthly allowance believed to be well into four figures.

The couple told staff at Castel Plage that they would also be sampling the nightlife in nearby Cannes and St Tropez, before heading east to the Italian Riviera.

Emma, who was born in Paris and speaks good French, said she was "having a wonderful time" and glad to be away from the "Harry Potter madness back home".

Meanwhile, negotiations are under way to secure Emma, Daniel, and Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, in their roles for the final two instalments of the blockbuster series.

Emma has often hinted that she is uncertain about a commitment that will tie her up until she is 20, especially as her role left her little time for romance, despite being surrounded by hundreds of "cute guys working on the crew".

In a recent interview she said: "People say to me, 'It must be so easy for you. They must be lining up for you.' It's not easy. It's a minefield. Really. It's stressful."

But, perhaps, not any more.

Emma Watson

Harry Potter's Hermione turns to modelling

As Harry Potter's sidekick Hermione Granger, she plays the perfect pupil with a butter-wouldn’t-melt smile.

But as these pictures of Emma Watson prove, the 17-year-old is growing up fast.

In a photoshoot for Tatler, the young actress swapped her neatly pressed Hogwarts school uniform for Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel dresses, cutting an assured figure.

All grown up: 17-year-old Emma shows how mch she's changed in her new Tatler fashion shoot

But despite stepping out on the celebrity social circuit recently, Emma, from Oxford, said she remains reassuringly "normal".

"People who try to hide from fame can make it go completely the wrong way," she tells the magazine. "All those huge designer shades make them look like bugs!

"And walking around with bodyguards draws more attention to you. I think the best way to cope is to try and live as normal a life as possible."

Despite her new modelling career, Emma insists she is going to go to university to study philosophy

Part of that plan is to continue her education.

She is taking AS-levels in English literature, geography and art history and hopes to study philosophy at Cambridge University.

Emma has become a regular on red carpet but says she still leads a 'normal life'

But Potter fans need not worry: the latest instalment of the popular film series, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, opens on July 13, and Emma says she "definitely intends" to do another one.

She admitted: "I would do Harry Potter for nothing. It's not really anything to do with money."

The young actress swaps her neatly pressed Hogwarts school uniform for Yves Saint Laurent

Emma Watson