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SITTING ON SANTA'S LAP WILL BE A LOT MORE FUN THIS YEAR! VIRGIN MOBILE REVEALS A SEXY, SLIMMER, TRIMMER SANTA CLAUS

Santa Claus shows off his new look to stunned Holiday lovers in Toronto and Montréal

TORONTO (ONTARIO) December 16, 2009

After 11 months of extensive personal training, private coaching, and healthy eating, today Virgin Mobile Canada lifted the curtain to reveal a sexy, slimmed-down Santa Claus. Showing off his new body by going shirtless under a new sleigh and motorcycle jacket, Santa and his new entourage – a pair of hot carolers and some executive assistant elves – is taking to the streets of Toronto and Montréal to reveal his new look to Holiday-lovers and spread some cheer.

"We noticed that Santa was getting much bigger in the britches over the last couple seasons. Concerned for his health, we wanted to make sure that he’s around for a very long time," said Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer, Virgin Mobile Canada. "As the hottest mobile phone company in the world, we know a thing or two about looking sexy. We approached Santa after the last Holiday season and offered to work with him. This week we helped him test-drive his new look in Canada before his next world tour. I think the results speak for themselves."

"When you spend so much time giving to others, you forget to take care of yourself," said Mr. Claus. "And after seeing Mrs. Claus's Holiday Greeting from last year and her comments about me being a little chunky, I realized that I had a problem I needed to take care of – so this year Mrs. Claus, you won't have a problem finding the sugar cane, if you know what I mean."

Santa fans that want to see his new pecs in person can get a glimpse on his upcoming tour at the busiest neighbourhoods, malls and stores around Toronto and Montreal:

TORONTO:

MONTREAL:

For people that can't make it out in person, video of Santa’s recent public appearances will be posted on Virgin Mobile's YouTube page – www.youtube.com/virginmobilepresents, and people can get updates on what the sexy new Santa is up to on Facebook at facebook.com/virginmobilecan and on Twitter at twitter.com/virginmobilecan

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Though Santa is loved the world over, one of the biggest benefits to his weight loss has been the changes at his home in the North Pole. "Sure, I’ll always love him just the way he is, but let’s be honest, trading in the holly, jolly spare tire for some abs of steel didn’t hurt,” said Mrs. Claus. “Santa’s definitely got his groove back."

The benefits of Santa’s sleek new look go beyond the benefits of making things healthier for the Holidays. Besides setting a better example for young people around the world, this will be the greenest Holiday tour Santa’s ever gone on. “From an environmental standpoint alone, Santa’s sheer bulk was becoming an issue,” added Rosenberg. “His carbon footprint was getting as large as his waist size, so by losing weight we’re not only preserving Santa’s health, but the health of the planet as a whole. In fact, he’s slimmed down so much that we were actually able to retire two of the reindeer. Donner and Blitzen are now both happily living in Fiji and reaping the rewards of a very, very generous retirement plan.” “Santa was really packing it on the last few years,” said Donner, “It got harder and harder each season. I’ll miss parts of the job – the left over cookies, the Elf parties, the late-night back rubs from Mrs. Claus – but I don’t need to spend another night staring into the back end of Santa’s sleigh ever again. Can I get another Mai Tai?”

Blitzen could not be reached for comment.

Tips to help Santa on his merry way

In light of his new health-conscious lifestyle, Santa’s asked Virgin Mobile to share a few requests to help make his job a bit easier this year...

• Ditch the cookies. Instead lay out a plate of carrot sticks, rice cakes, or freshly cut fruit.

• Milk is okay as long as it's skim, but a nice protein smoothie would be even better.

• Unexpected temptations are always the hardest to resist. Please hide all candy bowls until you know Santa's already come and gone.

• Remembering the past is helpful, but it's hard to be constantly confronted with what you used to look like. Please remove all decorations and ornaments depicting the old Santa. If you want to be really supportive, replace them with pictures of male models with Santa's head photo-shopped on top.

• Place a chin-up bar or set of dumbbells next to the fireplace. That way Santa can get a few extra reps in on his way in and out of the house.

About Virgin Mobile

The Virgin Mobile group of companies has attracted more than 12 million customers worldwide. As the No.1 mobile youth network, Virgin Mobile Canada's mission is to be Canada's most loved mobile company. Its simpler, better deals offer customers control, flexibility and choice to design mobile packages that truly works for them. J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study has awarded Virgin Mobile "Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Prepaid Wireless Service, Five Years in a Row"¹ and it has ranked Virgin Mobile "Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Postpaid Wireless Service"². 91% of customers would also recommend Virgin Mobile to a friend.

Virgin Mobile phones are available at more than 4,000 locations with top-up cards available at more than 10,000 locations nationally. Virgin Mobile products can also be purchased online at www.virginmobile.ca or by calling 1-888-999-2321. Get personal with Virgin Mobile Canada on Facebook at facebook.com/virginmobilecan and Twitter at twitter.com/virginmobilecan.

For more information, please contact:

Kayla Rochkin, Hill & Knowlton Canada

1-416-413-4767

Kayla.rochkin@hillandknowlton.ca

Chris Baines, Virgin Mobile Canada

1-416-607-8412 / 1-416-556-3000

chris.baines@virginmobile.ca

^{1 J.D. Power and Associates 2005-2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction StudiesSM. Study based on 15,207 total responses from consumers with prepaid wireless service, measuring 5 wireless service providers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in October 2009. www.jdpower.com}

^{2 J.D. Power and Associates 2005-2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction StudiesSM. Study based on 15,207 total responses from consumers with postpaid wireless service, measuring 9 wireless service providers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in October 2009. www.jdpower.com}