WALKING into her local laundromat, Gail Porter was confused when the normally friendly owner struck her dumbfounded.
As a regular customer, the 52-year-old TV presenter is used to being greeted with a smile.
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Today, in an exclusive photoshoot for Fab Daily, Gail models her new hair for the nation for the first time
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For almost two decades, since alopecia took her hair overnight, the Scottish star has proudly rocked a bald head
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Resilient Gail is still smiling despite the tough game she received after her rise to fameCredit: Getty
But that day, the owner did not recognize her.
For almost two decades, since alopecia took her hair overnight, the Scottish star has proudly rocked her bald head.
Now her signature look was hidden under the long, blonde wig she had just bought.
Gail recalls: “He asked me if he could help me and I said, ‘I am, Gail’.
“He was so shocked and then started taking selfies of us to show people. The same thing happened at the kiosks. They couldn’t believe the change.”
Today, in an exclusive photo shoot for The Sun, Gail models her new hair for the nation for the first time.
The sun-kissed curls — a gift from her friend Amber Jean Rowan, a model and wig maker — are reminiscent of the girl-next-door look from her Nineties heyday when she hosted primetime shows The Big Breakfast and Top Of The Pops.
She says: “I’ve always said I’d never wear a wig, but this doesn’t look like a wig.
“I tried one before, a few years ago on an ITV programme, but I didn’t like it.
“This wig is not hot and sweaty, you just have to get used to it.
Gail Porter on going bald after losing her hair due to alopecia
“When I was heading home after picking it up, there was a guy on a bike who saw me and then drove off. I didn’t know if he was flirting and I called my daughter to tell her.”
A few years ago, Gail discovered that she wanted to find someone special.
‘Happy Single’
But she won’t be flaunting her new hair on dating apps any time soon after realizing she’s actually happier living alone with her cat Ziggy Stardust.
She says: “I’m happy to be single. Now I’m too settled and I like to live alone.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love going out with my friends and going dancing, but I love coming home to bed afterwards.
“I’m a big fan of going to the movies alone. When I go, often the same man is there alone and I think, ‘Oh, bless him’.
“But he probably thinks the same about me.”
Although the world has moved on since Gail’s alopecia hit the headlines, she believes the public would still be just as shocked today if the TV presenter lost her hair overnight — and this time it was on social media.
She adds: “When I said that, I only get kind comments from people. I only remember one nasty one and I immediately blocked and reported him.
“Though one guy was trying to be a troll and asked me if I had a ‘public haircut’.
“That was funny, especially when I had to correct him!”
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Gail appeared regularly in boys’ magazines in the 1990s
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I love being bald — don’t get me wrong — but this wig gives me the chance to do different things, says GailCredit: Stewart Williams – The Sun
Resilient Gail is still smiling despite the tough game she’s experienced since her rise to fame.
Alopecia was probably the least of her worries compared to anorexia, homelessness, self-harm, divorce, mental health separation, bankruptcy and the death of both parents.
It’s no wonder the Spooked: Scotland host is still baffled by the interest in her lack of hair.
“I’ve gotten so used to not having hair that I’m not sure what the problem is,” she says.
“Everything happened so fast I just had to get on with it and I was determined not to let anyone get me down.
“I don’t think I’m a role model, but if being bald or wearing a wig gives someone the confidence to go and try it themselves, I’m glad. I love that women and men talk to me about hair loss.
“I will go to the supermarket an hour early because I know someone will approach me. It’s the same when I travel on the train and work and take off my hat.
“I love being bald – don’t get me wrong – but this wig gives me the opportunity to do different things or go out incognito.”
Gail’s warm personality won her legions of fans back in the day, while her searing honesty about her demons only endeared her to us even more in the years that followed.
When she dramatically lost her hair on a trip to Las Vegas in 2005, her only concern was her daughter Honey, who was a toddler at the time.
But the little girl took one look at her mom’s new look and said, “Rock and roll.”
I love being bald — don’t get me wrong — but this wig gives me the opportunity to do different things or go out incognito
Gail Porter
This acceptance kept Gail going as the paparazzi followed her and her TV work dried up. However, she chose not to wear a wig, inspiring others with the same condition.
One of them was model and wigmaker Amber, who offered to do Gail’s hair after an event at her shop.
Gail says, “I’ve been there with all kinds of women. Some have gone through chemotherapy, some with alopecia.
“We had such a laugh trying on the wigs and when I put on the version of the wig I have now, the tears came and Amber said, ‘I’ll make you one’.
“She assured me that I could wear it whenever I wanted, as a hat or just once a year for Christmas. A bald head will forever be my ‘thing’ and my look, but this is a way to dress up for special occasions or be incognito, because no one will recognize me.”
The vibrant tresses are made from ethically sourced human hair and can be washed and styled as usual.
Gail says: “I’ve tried lots of different colors and styles but this one reminded me of going back to the nineties and I was very happy to be back there.
“I wouldn’t have tried this if it wasn’t for Amber, because I was so adamant that it wasn’t for me.”
Gail is currently touring the country performing her stand-up show Hung, Drawn And Portered following a run of 31 acclaimed shows in Edinburgh last summer.
“Beauty is inside”
She uses humor to make fun of her problems, joking about being shared with two men who claimed to be Jesus and getting better fares because train staff assumed she was sick.
However, her new wig will not appear on stage.
“I’m too hot and nervous anyway,” she admits. “Besides, I’d be paranoid if I lost it. My heart would be broken.” She adds that even wearing it for our photo shoot was “nerve-wracking”, saying: “I was quite worried before because I’ve never worn it myself.
“I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I’m getting used to it.
“I also have eyebrows and eyelashes, although I wear them when I’m on tour.
“I buy a batch to apply on my own or pop on a Mac if I’m going somewhere really fancy.
“I don’t spend money on hairdressers or shampoos – I must have saved a fortune over the years.”
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Gail’s warm personality won her legions of fans back in the dayCredit: Getty
For her 50th birthday in 2021, an artist friend gave her a painting that reads: There is beauty in everything, but not everyone can see it.
“For me, beauty is on the inside,” says Gail. “They are beautiful, kind people, witty people, those who are attentive and my daughter.”
“I’m very lucky to have a wonderful set of friends.”
But even her closest ones didn’t recognize her when she met them in London’s Soho after our shoot, still wearing a wig.
“It was hilarious,” she says. “When they knew it was me, one of the guys joked: ‘It’s the 90s, I’m having flashbacks!’ My girlfriends liked it too.”
On her way home, Gail stopped by Sainsbury’s, where a security guard caught her eye.
She says: “He told me, ‘Nice! Now you have a choice. You look great with and you look great without. Do whatever makes you happy’.
“Isn’t that nice.”
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education