Georgia’s Toff call makes life easier for acne sufferers
I’M A Celebrity winner Georgia “Toff” Toffolo is using her newfound fame to support people with skin problems.
The Made in Chelsea star has suffered from acne and red marks since her teens.
But when she was seen without make-up in the jungle, it came as a surprise to those used to seeing her looking flawless in the reality show about West London’s rich kids.
Toff has now launched a self-confidence campaign and plans to go into schools to talk to young people about the issue.
Her stint on I’m a Celebrity brought not just supportive comments but an onslaught of trolls on social media.
She said: “I got very emotional because it’s something that I’ve tried to mask for years,” she said, adding that the “perfect life” she is portrayed to live on Made In Chelsea played a part in her hiding her acne.
She went on: “It really is just one of the most empowering, liberating things I’ve ever done.”
Asked why now felt like the right time to open up about her skin condition, she replied: “I felt said, actually, I’m so in the public eye now that it would be a travesty for me not to be honest about the struggles that I’ve had.”
She said the reaction online has “blown her away”.
Toff added: “I’m getting messages from middle-aged women saying, ‘I struggle’, and young men, too.
“And obviously an enormous amount of young girls just saying, ‘Someone in your position has finally said, I’m not perfect’.“Toff admitted she always held back from being honest about her skin problems to her social media followers.
But she said: “I’m not the first one to upload a no make-up selfie of me lying in bed in my dressing gown.”
Being crowned Queen of the Jungle has earned Devon-born Toff, 23, a presenting slot on This Morning, covering the Oscars last week.
It’s a huge surprise for her because she didn’t expect to last long in the jungle.
She said: “I just thought everyone would hate me,” the Made In Chelsea star said of going into the jungle.
“Because I kept on getting voted to do the trials I assumed that everyone didn’t like me. So when I kept on getting through, I thought, ‘What on Earth is going on?’
“And then to the final, and then to win – it’s just ridiculous.” Toff will soon be back in the 15th series of Made in Chelsea on E4 and her new pal Stanley Johnson will make an appeararance.
The 77-year-old author, whose son is Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, bonded with Toff during their time on I’m A Celeb and their unexpected friendship has continued on home soil.
But she doesn’t see herself “going into politics as such” in the future.
“I shan’t be heading in to be an MP,” she said. “But yes, I will always be politically engaged.
“Young women and men need to speak up because it’s our life it’s affecting, politics and the decisions that are being made now.”
It’s the most empowering, liberating thing I’ve done