Gail Porter in tears as she shows off blonde wig for first time on TV
Gail Porter broke down in tears as she unveiled her new wig – the first one she has worn on television since losing her hair to alopecia 13 years ago.
The former TV presenter was diagnosed with alopecia in 2005 and she has refused to wear wigs and hairpieces over the years. She showed off her custom-made blonde wig on ITV’S Loose Women.
Porter, 47, was in tears as she said: “I’m definitely not going to cry because I’ve got good make-up on. It feels really nice but really weird.”
Porter added: “I keep wanting to do this all the time.
“I’m quite a tearful person normally, I felt really nervous. I was worried about your reactions and what people think.”
Porter said she “gasped” when she saw the wig for the first time and that “it reminds 0 Gail Porter first lost her hair to alopecia 13 years ago
me of being young”. Asked if she felt pressure to stay bald to inspire others, she said: “I think I’ll always be bald half the week. I don’t know when I’ll wear this – maybe go out for dinner or something.
“I enjoy feeling bald. I understand what you’re saying. I want people to be aware you have a choice. It’s beginning to feel normal now.
“It’s not just for people with alopecia ... [there is] cancer, people lose their hair for all different reasons.”
Porter, who rose to fame in the 1990s as a TV presenter for shows including Top of the Pops and The Big Breakfast and then as a model, added: “I’m used to being bald. This is fun.
“People have got wardrobes, you can put your hair up ... I can take mine off. I can put a different colour on.”
She said her teenage daughter Honey told her she “looks lovely” with the wig on.
Porter first lost her hair in 2005. Several years later she was delighted when it began to grow back, starting with her lashes and brows.
She then sported a cropped look, but in 2010 she revealed her hair had started to fall out again. She developed the condition in the wake of the end of her marriage to Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave.