The owner
of the largest rabbit in the world offered a £70K salary for a safe pair
of hands to hold the big bunny at events around the globe.
Current
Guinness World Record title holder Annette Edwards, 57, was looking for a male
handler to show big bunny Alice over the next year.
The credit-crunch
busting job was given to the successful applicant at an audition day on April
1 at Wookey Hole Caves in Wells, Somerset. 
Whoever
gets the role can expect a life-changing year, travelling with Annette to far-flung
corners of the globe. Already booked are personal
appearances in Paris at the end of April on a television show and the heart of
fashion, Milan, in May. The vacancy has opened since
Annette, from Worcester, underwent a gruelling diet and £10,000 of surgery
to transform herself into a real-life version of Jessica Rabbit.
Her change into the female star of 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit film means she
struggles to handle the enormous bunny when in character.
She said: "I
know it sounds like it's a lot of money, but it is a very important job and I
need a safe pair of hands for Alice. "I can't
do it anymore because of the costume I have to wear means it's too cumbersome
to carry her.
"People come to any appearances of me and expecting to
see me as Jessica, that's part of the show now. 
"I suppose I need someone to be Roger to my Jessica, although he won't have
to dress up as the character so he doesn't have to worry about that.
"I
know it's on April 1, but this isn't an April Fool - it's a real job and a really
good opportunity for somebody. "It's got to
be someone who can handle the rabbit and loves pets.
"They need to have a big personality as well and not be shy in front of the
camera." Annette is looking for men over 25
to audition for the role and they will need to be an animal-lover, with the grip
to hold three foot, three inch long Alice.
The two-and-a-half year
old bunny also weights a whopping three-and-a-half stone so some strength will
be needed. 
Auditions are to be held in Wookey Hole Caves in Wells, Somerset, and will be
in front of four judges, with each applicant given a minute to impress.
Among the panel deciding who gets the job are Jeff Kine, who is a professional
glamour photographer, a David Beckham lookalike, Dee Bronze, a tanning expert,
world famous Witch of Wookey Hole and Annette herself. 
People
interested in applying for the position should email annetteedwards816@btinternet.com,
who will then reply with their entry number. Whoever
gets the rabbit handling job can expect to be among the cream of professionals
in terms of similar salaries. The starting yearly
pay for a city lawyer is around £60,000, while backbench Members of Parliament
are currently paid £64,766, although this is rising to £65,737.
Further down the scale, heads of communications at Public Relations firms can
expect around £49,000, while commercial solicitors get around £51,500
a year. Air traffic controllers are on similar wages
with £51,900 salaries, while coroners are paid an average of just £150
more for their work per year. At the other end of
the scale are cleaners, hairdressers and farm labourers, who research shows get
less £10,000 per annum. It means Annette could
hire seven of them for the same price for the money she is shelling out on the
handler. But the great grandmother, who has ten children
of her own, said it could be an opportunity for people struggling to find work
to have their luck changed instantly. She said: "In
today's tough times jobs are becoming harder and harder to come to by.
"You don't have to be a rabbit breeder or anything like that, we will consider
everybody and anybody.
"This is a real job, with a real wage and could
really help out the right person who might need a lucky break." FOR
MORE INFORMATION PLEASE PHONE ANNETTE EDWARDS ON:
01905 841807 OR 07956484145
annetteedwards816@btinternet.com | 
