GETTING THE SNIPPETS ON STARS AND THEIR STYLES
HANNAH STEPHENSON catches up with celebrity hairdresser Steven Smith, to find out what really goes on behind the scenes in the world of showbiz hairdressing
HE’S cut, styled and blow-dried the hair of celebrities from London to Hollywood, from Katie Price, Tamara Beckwith and Denise Welch, to John Travolta.
As an insider to the world of celebrity, Steven Smith has seen the best (and worst) of showbiz people; the drug-fuelled parties, the tantrums and the triumphs, as he rose to fame as a makeover artist during the late 90s.
He worked on the Lorraine Kelly show, transforming GMTV viewers into their favourite stars, even making over Lorraine herself, transforming her into movie legend Elizabeth Taylor. But his speciality was blondes. “I used to be known as the ‘blonde transformer’ and it became a joke that if you stood next to me, you’d turn blonde,” he says, laughing. “I was particularly good at transforming people into blondes and doing big, glamorous hair.”
Many of his showbiz anecdotes are featured in his book, It Shouldn’t Happen To A Hairdresser, and actress Denise Welch, who has been a pal for more than 30 years, writes the foreword.
Coatbridge-born Steven is reluctant to reveal the worst celebrity he’s ever styled, though.
“It very often depends on the mood they’re in. I did Britt Ekland and she was just appalling. She clicked her fingers at me and asked me to tie her shoe. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I just said, ‘Certainly, your majesty’ and everybody in the room burst out laughing, but she didn’t quite understand why it was so funny.”
He also recalls his encounters with a young Katie Price, then known as Jordan, who had a foul mouth and forthright attitude, and often battled with him over her hairstyles.
“One day I did this look for her which looked like RuPaul’s love child, it was so big, and she loved it. She liked big hair, not a girl-nextdoor, softer look.”
“Katie’s wonderful, amazing. She managed to take straw and spin it into gold,” he continues. “She took exhibitionism and very little talent and it made her a huge star.
“Working with her was interesting, because you never knew who you were getting.
“There were two different personalities – one minute she would be adorable and the next minute Jordan would kick in, the exhibitionist would come out and she’d want attention.”
He recalls styling Denise Van Outen’s hair on numerous occasions during her early career, when she was on The Big Breakfast, only to be blanked by her at an aftershow party when he went to congratulate her on her first night as Roxie Hart in Chicago in London’s West End.
Another time, he recalls being asked to do the hair of some of the stars of Baywatch, including The Hoff.
“David Hasselhoff was incredibly two-faced.
“One minute he was calling