Trude Mostue

Trude Mostue was born in Oslo, Norway on Thursday, 28th March 1968. She grew up at the family home in Siggerud, Ski, where she lived with her parents Leif and Tordis and sisters Hilde and Lene. She had the desire to become a veterinary surgeon since she was a child, and set out to pass all the exams she needed to get into vet school, passing her last A-level in 1987. During the next three years Trude gained some practical experience, first becoming a herds-woman to 125 Norwegian Red dairy cattle near Oslo, then working in a research centre studying pigs' semen. This was followed by a year spent working as a combination of receptionist, assistant veterinary nurse, cleaner and general handy-woman in a small-animal practice in Oslo. Finally, sponsored by the Norwegian Veterinary College, Trude traveled to England in 1991 to study at Bristol University. Her English was very basic, so she had to cope with learning the language in addition to her medical studies. Between her third and fourth year she returned briefly to Norway, where she spent two months working as a milkmaid for 400 goats in the beautiful fjord country and making cheese for tourists. She then returned to England to face the last two years of studying. Trude struggled the whole way through the five-year course, but her sheer determination and stubbornness enabled her to succeed. It was during Trude's last year at university that the BBC arrived to film their docu-soap "Vets' School" and she was one of several students who agreed to appear in the series. It proved a huge hit with British viewers, spawning the long running sequel "Vets in Practice" and transforming Trude and her colleagues into celebrities. For six years the cameras followed her through the highs and lows of her professional and private life. More television work followed and Trude found herself in demand for making personal appearances and sponsoring charities and good causes. She also wrote books and newspaper columns.